The Winged Object functioned as a counterweight for a harpoon used to hunt seals and walruses. The thin, weblike tracery of engraved designs and the animal head carved in rounded relief were intended to please the inua or spirit of the hunted quarry. The Okvik were early Arctic ancestors of the Eskimo; they inhabited villages on both the North American and Asian sides of the Bering Straits as well as the several islands in between.
Details
| Artist | Eskimo, Native American |
|---|---|
| Artist | Okvik, Native American |
| Title |
|
| Date | ca. 300 |
| Medium | walrus ivory, patina |
| Dimensions | Overall: 7 3/8 inches (18.7 cm) |
| Credit Line | Founders Society Purchase, Mr. and Mrs. Peter W. Stroh and the Stroh Brewery Foundation Fund |
| Accession Number | 1983.7 |
| Department | Africa, Oceania & Indigenous Americas |
| On View | Native American S130, Level 1 (see map) |
Provenance
1982, excavated by Eskimos from a specific site owned by the Floyd Wogitillan family at the old village of Kukulik (Kukulik site, Saint Lawrence Island, Alaska, USA);
purchased by (Ron Nasser, HRN Primitives, New York, New York, USA);
1983-present, purchased by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)
purchased by (Ron Nasser, HRN Primitives, New York, New York, USA);
1983-present, purchased by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)
Published References
Bulletin of the DIA 61, 3 (1982-1983): p. 10 (ill.).
100 Masterworks from the Detroit Institute of Arts. New York, 1985, pp. 78-79 (ill.).
Penney, David W. and George C. Longfish. Native American Art. Southport, CT, 1994, p. 246.
100 Masterworks from the Detroit Institute of Arts. New York, 1985, pp. 78-79 (ill.).
Penney, David W. and George C. Longfish. Native American Art. Southport, CT, 1994, p. 246.