Whale spear model, light wood with bone ends.

Whale spear model, light wood with bone ends.

Gift of Arturo and Paul Peralta-Ramos

Eskimo whale bone face mask, porous black with white plug. Curved pierced slit eyes with curved eyebrows formed by broad raised lines. Rounded protruding cheek bones, centrally placed bulbous nose with flattened rectangular bridge and upraised tip, round holes piercing nostrils. Large downward-facing crescent pierced with slit for mouth; outlined with raised lines suggesting lips. Whitish plug (bone?) protrudes slightly from hole in bone at left corner of mouth.

By exchange

By exchange

An animal horn was steamed and softened then shaped into this ladle. Engravings on the exterior of the bowl depict scenes of daily life: a whale hunt, men spearing walruses, fish drying outside a house, a fenced reindeer herd, a dog sled, two wrestling bears, and a shaman performing a ritual inside a house to heal the sick. Heavy engravings of a walrus head and shoulders and fishermen hauling in nets decorate the handle's interior. The ladle is in good condition.

By exchange

By exchange

By exchange