Multi-Figure Carving Item Number: 1384/3 from the MOA: University of British Columbia

Description

Small soapstone carving resting on a thick rectangular base with rounded corners. From the top down, there is an bird, a bear, and a walrus head. The bird at the top has red coloured eyes. Both the bear and the walrus have white eyes. The walrus has two white tusks that touch the base.

Narrative

This carving is one of the early Inuit carvings, from Northern Quebec/southern Baffin Island, made when James Houston drew Northwest Coast totem poles as a type of object for the Inuit to carve. The donors purchased it at the Quest Gallery in 1950-51.