Vintage Inuit Art Soapstone Carving bt Caroline Tukullak E 9-162

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Vintage Inuit Art Soapstone Carving bt Caroline Tukullak E 9-162:
$88.25

Signed Vintage Inuit Soapstone Sculpture Carved Bird by Caroline TukullakMid to late 20th Century
Description: Here is a very nicely rendered soapstone carving from the Inuit community of Sanikiluaq. It is by artist Caroline Tukullak. Done in the easily recognized local green striated stone.Distinctive flat head of eider duck. Nicely inscribed tail and feathers on back.
Dimensions: 14 cm in length (5 ½” l)
Weight: 285 grams
Registration number B 22993
Hard to see in the photo because of the rasp marks, but the underside is also inscribed with Disk number E9-162, which is number for Inuit artist Caroline Tukullak of Sanikiluaq. Also inscribed in syllabics “ka- la- I” (which is the common way that the name Caroline is written in Inuktitut).
About the Artist
First Name: Caroline Last Name: TukallakCommunity: Sanikiluaq Sex:FDisc Number: E9162Date born: 04/04/1947
Alternative Names: • Tukallak Tukallak • Caroline Tukallak • Amitook Tukallak • Qittusuk Tukallak • Tookalook Tukallak • Kittosuk Tukallak • Kittosuck Tukallak
Please note this is different than Caroline Tukulak the graphic artist (b. 1965) from Puvirnituq.
Condition: Very good to excellent. If you run a finger along the underside edge of the tail, a tiny nip can be felt but nothing affecting appearance. No repairs.
About the subject - Eider Ducks
Caroline\'s community is famous for this bird. The eider is a large (50–71 cm (20–28 in) in body length) sea-duck that lives along the northern coasts of North America, Europe and Eastern Siberia. It breeds in Arctic and some northern temperate regions, but winters farther south in temperate zones, when it can form large flocks on coastal waters. It can fly at speeds up to 113 km/h (70 mph). The drakes have distinctive white and black plumage; the females wear the drabber brown.
The eider duck is best known for its down. Its nest is built close to the sea and is lined with the eider down, plucked from the female\'s breast. This soft and warm lining has long been harvested for filling pillows and quilts, but in more recent years has been largely replaced by down from domestic farm-geese and synthetic alternatives. Although eiderdown pillows or quilts are now a rarity, eiderdown harvesting continues and is sustainable, as it can be done after the ducklings leave the nest with no harm to the birds. Inuit and Eskimo also used the whole skin to make waterproof coats.The eider duck was the object of the 2011 internationally recognized documentary \"People of a Feather\".The film studied the historical relationship between the Sanikiluaq community and eiders, as well as various aspects of the bird’s ecology. The director/cinematographer/ biologist Joel Heath spent seven years on the project .About the Community
The community of Sanikiluaq (formerly known as \"Belcher Islands\") is located at the southernmost point of Nunavut. Sanikiluaq has about 850 residents, many of whom are still traditional hunters providing \"country food\" (caribou, seal, whale) to families in the community. The islands are distinctively Arctic- no trees, with rocky cliffs tower 50 to 150 metres above the sea.General Condition Notes: Most hand carved and vintage Inuit items will show signs of minor imperfections commensurate with their age and/or production faults. Some items may require a clean or polish.