Mark Tungilik was born in the Kugaaruk (Pelly Bay) region; his birthdate is usually listed as 1913, although his daughter Theresie believes he was born in 1904. Tungilik began carving as a teenager: small figures in stone, and ivory works including complete dog teams. He was encouraged to continue by missionaries in the 1940s, and by the time James Houston met him in Repulse Bay in 1950, Tungilik was an experienced artist. Although most famous for his ivory miniatures and “micro-miniatures,” Tungilik also carved regularly in stone. Muskoxen, his favoured subjects in this material, could in fact be fairly large. Muskox is a particularly fine example; we think the secret of its considerable charm lies in the fact that it greatly resembles the artist’s miniature versions in ivory. The sculpture’s overall chunky form and proportions are simply scaled up. We say “simply,” but it is no simple matter. The aesthetics and proportions of miniatures and large-scale sculptures are very different; Tungilik’s small people, for example, would look ridiculous at this scale. But for some magical reason, with his muskoxen - perfection!