Fossilized Bone Hunter Sculpture by RK American Eskimo Indian Shishmaref Ak

Description

This sculpture comes from my personal collection, I have collected Native American art since the 1970's.  This sculpture has been in my possession since 1996 when I purchased it new.  This is an
Inupiat sculpture made in the Inupiat (Eskimo) village of Shishmaref, Ak. by Ricky Kuzuguk.
The hunter is finely done with regular balanced features.  The face has a luminescense to it like a highly polished white stone - agate?   A very beautiful exquisitely done piece.
While artists in Shishmaref work with much of the same materials as other area villages they are most known for whalebone carving. The use of old or fossilized whalebone and bone as a medium for contemporary art began in the 1970's and has since flourished.
Whalebone and bone comes from private lands in Alaska that are owned by Native people. The colors are contingent on the minerals that the bone absorbed over several hundred (or even thousands) years while lying on the ground or beach. Because of this, no two carvings will have the same design or color.
The traditional Native carver uses the natural shape of the bone in his sculpture like his ancestors did before him. Reducing the size of the bone to make a smaller carving is considered wasteful. Fresh whalebone or bone is never used.
Whalebone carving has come to define the art community of Shishmaref.
Common subjects of carving include figures engaged in traditional activities such as hunting, fishing, drumming and dancing, as well as "transformation" pieces which depict beings in a part human, part animal abstraction. Almost every piece is defined and embellished with baleen and ivory inlay. Most Shishmaref carvers began honing their craft from a young age, learning primarily from watching other carvers in their family.
Sculpture measures 7 1/4"tall x 1 1/2" wide x 1 1/2" deep
Spear measures 6 1/4" long and is tipped with baleen
Questions???  Please ask before purchasing to avoid any misunderstandings.
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