THULE CULTURE, MAINLAND ALASKA

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The Thule people, ancestors of the modern Inuit, lived in the Arctic regions of North America from around 1000 to 1600 ce. They were adept at converting means of physical and spiritual sustenance from each of the limited resources available in the Arctic landscape. One of their primary traditions is the carving of marine ivory, from which they created an impressive range of hunting tools as well as more esoteric objects.

The full breadth of uses and meanings of the ivory images they crafted is not understood by scholars. Animal figurines depicting walruses, seals, birds, and whales certainly served a role as hunting charms, helping bind the destiny of the prey to the hunter. Doll-like human images are more enigmatic, though it is known some were used for social instruction and play, while others were used in shamanic practices and as amulets or effigies.

This doll was excavated with a portion of its original hide thong intact, together with an early glass trade bead. Glass beads came into Intuit society in the first wave of contact with Europeans, and by the early years of the eighteenth century were a common trade good. The figure is male and unadorned, with an open-mouthed, entranced expression, arms held against the torso – a posture often seen in carvings of this kind.

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