Jewelry
The walrus ivory, whale baleen, or combined ivory and baleen bracelets like this were made to sale to tourists and WW II soldiers stationed in Alaska by Alaskan Eskimos from the 1930's to 1950's. Most were plain but some have etchings (scrimshaw) on the ivory and a few such as this have carved ivory.
very small seal tooth with even smaller shaman face carved into it.
A pendant of new walrus ivory carved by Eskimo carver, Moses Soonagrook. This pendant has 2 faces, a bearded shaman face on side, a typical Eskimo face on the other, with 2 whales, on on either side
1960's scrimshawed whale tail on seal tooth pendant
A pendant which has on one side of this piece of fossil ivory, a scrimshaw of a large sailing vessel, on the other side is a carved shaman face. The face has narrow eyes, and a long mustache. There is a hole bored thru the ivory, just above the face / boat - for a chain or leather strip or other necklace to be passed thru.
This is 2.5" long and 1/2" wide and about 1/2" at deepest. I do not know if this is native made or perhaps done by a sailor or ? It was part of a large collection of Inuit and Eskimo pieces - others of which can be viewed in this store.
Part of a collection of Eskimo and Inuit items which was built by one gentleman over several years. More items from this collection are now available - check more from this colleciton in "Antique items from other areas" and "current work from other areas"
Scrimshaw etching of a woolly mammoth head on fossil mammoth ivory tusk.
