Tiktak carved almost exclusively in stone; only a few examples of works carved in organic materials are known. They include a walrus tusk carved with faces, at least two ivory figures, and a small figure in antler. This remarkable Janus-Faced Composition is carved from the leg bone of a caribou; it is the only work we know of by Tiktak made from this material, and is possibly unique in his oeuvre. Judging from the facial features it was probably carved c. 1967-68, a period of intense experimentation for the artist. Interestingly Tiktak carved his signature below one of the faces, something he occasionally did in his sculptures as well. The Janus-face motif is not unheard of in his repertoire either, and naturally it relates to his multiple-head imagery as well.

References: For a Standing Figure by Tiktak carved in ivory see Sandra Dyck and Ingo Hessel, Sanattiaqsimajut: Inuit Art from the Carleton University Art Gallery Collection (Ottawa: CUAG, 2009), cat. 101, p. 172. For an important stone Janus-Faced Head by the artist see Walker’s Auctions, Ottawa, May 2018, Lot 76.