OBS Anonymous

OBS Anonymous, Miniature figure with horns, Thule

ivory, 1516 x 38 x 18 in. (2.4 x 0.9 x 0.3 cm)

See Gifts from Our Ancestors Catalog Number 139, illustrated on p. 306

01191-1

OBS Anonymous, Whale amulet, Punuk-Thule

ivory, 12 x 2 1/4 x 34 in. (1.3 x 5.7 x 1.9 cm)

01167-1

OBS Anonymous, Large bear, Punuk or Thule

ivory, 1 x 4 x 58 in. (2.5 x 10.2 x 1.6 cm)

See p. 217 of Gifts from the Ancestors: Ancient Ivories of Bering Strait for a very similar bear, attributed to Punuk or Thule period (c. 1000 AD)

01095-1

OBS Anonymous, Small featureless doll, Okvik

Fossilized ivory, 1 3/4 x 716 x 18 in. (4.5 x 1.1 x 0.3 cm)

01190-1

OBS Anonymous, Tattooed torso, Okvik

Fossilized ivory, 5 1/2 x 2 1/4 x 1 in. (14 x 5.7 x 2.5 cm)

01200-1

OBS Anonymous, Harpoon socket piece decorated with walruses, OBS II

Fossilized ivory, 7 1/2 x 1 3/4 x 1 in. (19.1 x 4.5 x 2.5 cm)

Cf. Toggle in the form of a sculpin, Wardwell fig. 76.

01178-1

OBS Anonymous, Collection of harpoon points, shafts, and tools, OBS

Not for sale. A collection of Old Bering Sea tools, including harpoon points, socket pieces and ritual bowls, found together. These almost certainly were the tools of one hunter.

03160-2

OBS Anonymous, Fragment of OBS tool, OBS

Fossilized ivory, 3 1/4 x 58 x 12 in. (8.3 x 1.6 x 1.3 cm)

This is a fragment of an Okvik tool or handle, with characteristic decoration. It resembles the burin handle in Figure 3 on P. 79 of Gifts From the Ancestors: Ancient Ivories of the Bering Strait, which had a similar pointed opening by which a link was attached to the handle.

02428-1

OBS Anonymous, Hand and whale on chain, Ipiutaq

ivory, 4 x 1/2 x 1/2 in. (10.2 x 1.3 x 1.3 cm)

An amulet in the form of a human hand is joined to an amulet in the form of a whale's head by a single link. There is an incised star on the back of the hand. All parts have a uniform, deep brown patina. See Wardwell, Ancient Eskimo Ivories of the Bering Strait (1986), plate 154 for a similar object. Wardwell writes, 'The Ipiutak created a wide variety of animal figures, including polar bear, walrus, seal and bird forms,as well as chains and the openwork spiral carvings unique to them. Although no pure representations of the human figure are known, a few sculptures combine human and animal forms.'

01215-1

OBS Anonymous, Large butterfly counterweight, Early Punuk

Fossilized walrus ivory, 6 x 1 7/8 in. (15.2 x 7.3 cm)

See Gifts from the Ancestors, Fig. III.4, 23g

00284-2

OBS Anonymous, Spirit Scoop (to give seal a drink), 19th century

ivory, 3 1/4 x 1516 x 316 in. (8.3 x 2.4 x 0.5 cm)

01194-1