A special exhibit at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture in Spokane, Washington, featured The Inuit Art of Povungnituk. A portion of this exhibit was dedicated to Inuit carving.
Museum curator Eva Fognell, in an article in American Indian Art, reports:
“The Arctic cultures have strong aesthetic traditions. For example, carving and incising ivory is an ancient practice among groups throughout the region.”
According to the Museum display:
“Indigenous people of the Arctic have been carving utilitarian objects such as tools, stone kettles and oil lamps for thousands of years, but Inuit people also carve symbolic objects intended for burial use. Contemporary Inuit carvers build on these traditions, working with the materials that their ancestors used—soapstone, ivory, bone and antler. Carving techniques are time tested.”
Shown below are some of the carved objects which were on display.
Indians 101
Indians 101 is a series celebrating American Indian arts, museums, cultures, languages, biographies, histories, and current concerns. More about American Indian arts from this series:
Indians 101: Some Northern Northwest Coast Baskets (Photo Diary)
Indians 101: Feathered Pomo Baskets (Photo Diary)
Indians 101: Cahuilla Pottery (Photo Diary)
Indians 101: Aleut Basketry (Photo Diary)
Indians 101: Yup'ik Masks (Photo Diary)
Indians 101: Arctic Baskets (Photo Diary)
Indians 101: Inupiaq Art (Photo Diary)
Indians 101: Inuit Art (Photo Diary)