North America | Alaska
Human figure
Alaska
Mainland Thule
Archaic Eskimo, Alaska
18th century or earlier
Height: 2 ¼ in. (5.8 cm)
Ex Hurst Gallery, Cambridge
Ex private collection, USA
Published:
“Arctic Ivory – Two thousand years of Alaskan Eskimo Art and Artifacts”, Norman Hurst, 1998, figure 52 p. 26
Thule Figure 5.8 cm Hurst / Galerie Flak
Price on request
According to Fitzhugh et Kaplan (Inua: Spirit World of the Bering Sea Eskimo, 1982 : 156), these shamanic figurines were carved for several purposes: to stand in for people absent from the village during festivals, to avert infertility, or else to focus the attention of animal inua (spirit) during the Doll Festival, which was held to bless hunting and fishing expeditions in the coming year.
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