First Nations, Northern Canada / Greenland, Inuit culture, ca. late 20th to 21st century CE. A dramatic carving of a tupilaq (tupilak), the avenging spirit that shamans conjured up, made from sperm whale tooth. Tupilaq were feared and held great power- it was unwise to make a carving to summon one without consideration - the tupilaq spirit could easily turn on the maker. These figurines were made in secret and at night, from animal and human parts (taken from corpses) and then placed into the sea to seek and destroy the chosen enemy. None of these actual tupilaq figurines used in ritual existed for curious outside cultures to see, so Inuits began carving representations from bone and ivory to show what tupilaq spirits looked like, and these later carvings- such as this piece, became fascinating and important part of Greenlander art. Tupilaqs did not have a defined form - they might be animalistic with polar bear, seal, whale and other hybrid combinations that were both fanciful and grotesque. Size: 1.5" L x 2" W x 4.75" H (3.8 cm x 5.1 cm x 12.1 cm)

This is an ESA antique exempt piece of ivory and cannot be sold internationally or to anyone residing in the states of California, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Washington.

Provenance: private Hood River, Oregon, USA collection

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#178603

Intact and very good with minor striations on head.