£213
African & Oceanic Art, Antiquities and Natural History | 639
Auction: 5 May 2021 at 12:00 BST
carved serpentine, the inukshuk topped by a spirit face inlaid with marine ivory eyes, a bird soars above, attached by an ivory stand
Provenance:
The Late Dr Helen E C Cargill Thompson
Note:
Inukshuk are man-made stone cairns built for use by the peoples of the Arctic for navigation and as a point of reference; marking out travel routes, fishing places, camps, hunting grounds and places of veneration. Varying in shape and size, the inuksuit have ancient roots in Inuit culture and they remain an important Inuit cultural symbol to this day. Indeed, an inuksuk lies at the centre of the flag of the Canadian territory of Nunavut, and the flag of Nunatsiavut.