The history of pictorial engraving in the Canadian Arctic is layered, drawing on the long tradition of ornamented ivory from St. Lawrence Island. By the early twentieth century, Inuit artists were incising tusks and antlers with both inherited designs and scenes of camp life. The practice was also shaped by scrimshaw, introduced by whalers, whose etched curiosities found eager collectors. Inuit carvers transformed that influence into something distinct, adapting it to local materials and giving it new life as an artistic practice.

In the early years of production in the Canadian North, many artists experimented with pictorial engraving on walrus tusk and antler before establishing their own artistic direction. This example, though unsigned, carries labels from the Canadian Guild of Crafts that identify both its date, 1951, and its maker, “Etungat.” To the best of our knowledge, it is the only known instance of Etungat’s work in “scrimshaw.”

The base of the sculpture further confirms Etungat as the artist. Although he would later gain recognition for his “Birds of Spring,” his subject matter was broader and included animals such as the bear and walrus seen here. This figure, seated with an endearing weight, shares features with other known works by Etungat, including Bear and Seal in the permanent collection of the Canadian Guild of Crafts (358). The carving also reveals the early formation of the almond-shaped eye that would become a hallmark of his later style.

MBL