Seal skin, ivory and wood are the essential matterials needed to construct a harpoon. The shaft is usually made of spruce, the lashing cut from dried seal skin, and the head and tip shapped from ivory. It takes many months to gather, process, and construct a harpoon. Lashing is ideally made from larger spotted seal skin, sometimes from two year old beareded seals as well. It really depends on the person who is constructing the harpoon on how it will end up looking.