A typical whaling voyage lasted several years, and several months might pass out on the ocean between whale sightings.
Sailors had a lot of time on their hands. They looked for ways to relieve their boredom and forget their feelings of homesickness. Many whalemen took up scrimshaw, and those who became particularly skilled were called “scrimshanders.”
Scrimshaw is a form of art in which engravings are carved into sperm whale teeth (or occasionally whalebone). Sperm whale teeth are a kind of ivory, like elephant or walrus tusks, and make good carving surfaces. Unlike other parts of a whale, the big cone-shaped teeth—up to two pounds each in some of the largest individuals—had no value but were small enough to stow away in the ship’s tight quarters. After the valuable parts of a whale were harvested, the teeth were free for the taking.
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Celebrating Our Southwest Heritage
A talk with Khristaan Villela
Neighbors North And South
Refugees from the Mexican Revolution in the 1910s head for Marfa, Texas.
A New Conflict Threatened The US And Mexico's Relationship
More than 60 years after the United States and Mexico fought their last battle over land, a new conflict threatened the two countries’ relationship.
The Final Piece
The dark green color in the map depicts the land that was the Gadsden Purchase.
Alta California Becomes A State
This 1750 map captures the Spanish belief—based on the Baja Peninsula—that California was an island.
From Tejas To Texas
The republic of Mexico—newly independent from Spain—faced some big problems in the early 1820s.
The Rise of New Spain
Within a couple of years of arriving in Mexico, Hernán Cortés conquered the Aztec Empire.
Rethinking A Holiday
Columbus Day has been an official U.S. holiday since 1937. But some people question the idea of celebrating Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the “New World.”
The Promise Of Gold And A Sea Route To India
The promise of gold and a sea route to India.
Getting Started
Did you know that the Spanish arrived in North America more than 100 years before the English settled their first colonies in Virginia and Massachusetts?
