Idol, 18th century or earlier · Alaska, Thule Culture · ID: 3043075
not available anymore
Provenance
Alaska on Madison, New York, USASize
H: 3,3 cm
H: 1.3 inch
Description
bone, yellowish brown patina, stylized armless human torso in miniature form, breasts and navel marked, base.
Such figures are generally interpreted as idols and are connected with whale hunting. Up to nowadays the crew members of whale boats take small wooden figures aboard. They played an important role in ceremonies for a good whale hunt and were destroyed afterwards.
Comparing literature
Ellis, Donald, Art of the Arctic, Ivories from the Bering Sea, London 2015, p. 72. pl. 66