This may give you a better idea about the size of this bear from Cape Dorset. Kigigtuk Etidloie is the carver of this little one. The dimensions are 3 by 2 by 2. The stone is a wonderful mottled green. Bears are such a wonderful subject for Inuit carvers. Not only are they sometimes depicted whimsically, like dancing, clapping, hand-standing, etc, but also alert, on the prawl. menacing, or mothering their cubs, teaching them to survive, or in shamanic transformations. A great source for many myths and legends.

This is a large carving by Aisa Amittuk from Akulivik. The dimensions are 16 inches by 10 by 7 inches; quite large. Aisa presents here the almost impossible struggle between a hunter with just a knife and a bear where the latter seems to outmeasure, outweigh the poor hunter by quite a bit. Yet the hunter seems to be getting the upper hand. Fortunately for him! Yesterdays blog entry showed a bear ready to munch on a seal. It seems that today the tables are changed.

A small carving by George Alayco from Akulivik of a bear getting ready to eat a seal. The carving measures 3.5 inches by 3.5 by 3.75 inches. Not necessarily the most pleasant subject matter, but again a reflection of a life centered on living off the land. Each creature has its place in the fragile ecosystem. And, although this bear seams to be a well fed creature (look at his well rounded behind) , the overall plight of the bears in the arctic is quite uncertain with the pressures from "progress". I guess progress can be a loaded term.

An absolutely wonderful bear. The stone is dark green mottled with light green, yellowish specs. Some carvings one just doesn't want

to part with and this is one of them. Actually my whole collection is the result of careful collecting. All carvings are individually selected and have been part of my collection. However, the time has come to cull a bit as the house is getting to full. Besides, I do believe that because I have no overheads, etc, that what I offer is, not only carefully selected, but also attractively priced. This bear is by Johnny Papigatok, a renowed Cape Dorset carver of bears and stands 6 by 3 by 2.5 inches.