The early 1950s was a period of great experimentation as more and more Inuit tried their hands at stone carving, using skills already in place from fabricating various tools and implements. As a hunting culture, the Inuit had intimate knowledge of Arctic creatures great and small. Initially working on a smaller scale, early carvers produced a tremendous variety of animalia. It was not uncommon to see sculptures of Arctic hares, dogs, siksiit (ground squirrels), otters, and other smaller animals before market forces made it more lucrative to produce seals, walrus, and especially polar bears. The identity of the carver of this delightful Arctic hare is lost to time but it is obviously the work of a practiced hand. While diminutive in size the piece exudes confidence, and the subject seems to be simultaneously vigilant and whimsical.