Engraved Whale Tooth

These two engraved objects, a walrus tusk and a sperm whale tooth, encapsulate aspects of Indigenous Arctic life, particularly the use of natural materials and the importance of hunting. The tusk is decorated with depictions of men hunting walrus in boats, of village huts, and of women preparing food. The tooth presents a variety of hunting scenes in which men chase a walrus, harpoon a whale, spear a bear, and aim bows and arrows at a caribou. One especially intriguing scene shows three men dancing and holding circular drums.

CULTURES Yup'ik or; Iñupiaq

MEDIUM Sperm whale tooth, black ash or graphite, oil

CAPTION Yup'ik or. Engraved Whale Tooth, late 19th century. Sperm whale tooth, black ash or graphite, oil, 6 1/2 × 3 × 2 in. (16.5 × 7.6 × 5.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Robert B. Woodward, 20.895. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 20.895_overall01_PS22.jpg)

Text Source: Brooklyn Museum

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The carvings on these objects are reduced graphic forms — they read and communicate clearly at a small size.  The carving lines create textures and shading using the least amount of moves, but can tell complex stories. These designs feel like they would fit in modern visual culture but are from the late 19th century. 

Text source: Mary Banas