For a brief but flourishing period in the late 1960s and early 1970s, whale bone carving surged in communities like Clyde River and Igloolik, amongst other, due to stone shortages, positive media attention, and strong market demand. Artists embraced whale bone for its texture and form. However, many carvings used bone removed from Thule sites, disturbing archaeological layers. The 1975 USA ban on whale bone imports, prompted by the Endangered Species Act, further disrupted the market. Despite this, Canadian Arctic Producers continued to distribute carvings, maintaining demand, particularly outside the U.S., though in smaller quantities.

Given today’s regulatory climate and shifting material trends, whale bone has largely fallen out of favour as a sculptural medium. Yet this charming Drum Dancer, like several lots in the present sale, reminds us of the material’s remarkable versatility.

Here, a porous section of whale bone has been carefully selected and shaped into a swaying figure mid-drum. Despite the medium’s fragility, the artist — identified only as Tategal, a name we were unable to trace — has rendered delicate limbs and even the tip of the hood with impressive precision. The complexity deepens with the insertion of a denser piece of bone for the face, which is finely incised to show a peaceful, closed-eyed expression and a faint smile, as the Inuk is entirely absorbed in the rhythm of his drum.