Before settling into permanent communities, the Inuit led a semi-nomadic lifestyle transporting their possessions from one camp to another. While they did not have walls on which to hang paintings or shelves lined with books, many of their belongings, although functional, were richly decorated with either aesthetic or spiritual motifs. As the demand for Inuit art increased in the south, Inuit co-operatives and their advisors began to think of ways to broaden the market. As a result, many artists were asked to produce functional objects which could also be sold as works of art. The 1960s saw a wave of match holders, ashtrays, and bookends ranging from the mundane to the magnificent. While these functional artworks are less common today, many like these wonderful bookends, have stood the test of time.