Idol

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Description

walrus ivory, stilized armless human torso in miniature form, slightly dam. (chin, back), socle;
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.

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Comparing literature

Fitzhugh, William W., Gifts from the ancestors, London 2009, p. 238, ill. 14. Bandi, Hans-Georg, Die Kunst der Eskimo auf der St.-Lorenz-Insel in Alaska, Bern, Stuttgart 1977, p. 54 f.

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