Inuit carving
Northern indigenous artwork
Inuit carving refers to sculptural art created by Inuit peoples of the Arctic, traditionally carved from soapstone, bone, ivory, or antler.
The works typically depict animals, hunters, spirits, and scenes from daily life.
What began as functional objects and spiritual items became a recognized art form in the mid-twentieth century, now collected and exhibited internationally: The museum acquired several Inuit carvings from Nunavut.
- soapstoneSoft metamorphic rock
- stone dustPulverized mineral particles
- chiselingCutting with edged tool
- ivoryTusk-derived material
- walrus tuskMarine mammal's elongated canine
Nunavut · spirituality · masks · sanding · animism · antler · bone · Greenland · Alaska · northern lights · abstraction · polishing · Arctic wildlife · seal hunter · mythology · storytelling · shamanism · spirit animal