Sea cow used for Iban hilts

[David]

Originally Posted by fearn

--non-destructively, by figuring out what bone it is (most likely rib or large vertebra) and matching it to the corresponding piece of a skeleton.

That's why you want a comparative anatomist. Paleontologists use this skill all the time, because typically, they get bits of bones from unknown organisms, and have to figure out not only what bone they have, but what the organism was and what it looked like. That's effectively the puzzle you have here.

Given that the hilt is firstly just a small part of the bone (if indeed it is bone and not antler) and then it is extensively carved i am afraid i cannot see any possibility that it could be matched to any existing whole bone for verification. Even when paleontologist work for fairly intact bones they have been know to make mistakes. I don't think there would be enough for them to work from here.