Posted by: patbirder
on May 25, 2009
The Inuit communities of Arctic Bay, Pond Inlet, and Clyde River are located along the northern and eastern shores of Baffin Island in Nunavut. With the spectacular Baffin Mountains providing shelter, scenic beauty, and most importantly good fishing and hunting, it’s no wonder that Inuit peoples have used these lands for thousands of years. Bowhead Whales and Narwhals that flourished in the waters of the Baffin Bay and Davis Straits were hunted for the abundance of meat these animals provided. In addition to their meat, the bones were used to make tools. Although people in these communities now use tools fabricated from steel, carvings of daily life and Arctic wildlife are still crafted from whale bones and the long, ivory tusks of Narwhals.
Harvested from cold, northern shores, the whalebone sculptures from Arctic Bay, Pond Inlet, and Clyde River make for pieces whose rough texture imparts a mystical, otherworldly appearance. In addition to whalebones, red, green, and black soapstones are also sculpted to form small, polished figurines, and caribou antlers used to craft more delicate sculptures.
Northern / Arctic Travel Blog 
