2. • Being a subsistence people,
Alaskan Eskimos hunt
whales, walrus, and seals to
survive.
• They use as much of the
animals as possible (eating,
making something
functional, or making art
work to keep or sell).
• No one must touch these
bones except the Native
Alaskans if/when they are
ready to make use of them.
• Also, any animal they hunt is
highly respected even after
death, from the way the
meat is stored to what
happens to the bones.
• These whale bones are
aged and are ready to use
for carving or structural
supports.
3. • These whale
backbone will be
aged for some time
so the oil leaches
out of it, and
animals will
continue to clean
the meat from it,
before it’s ready to
be used.
4. • Homes are utilitarian
on the outside (it’s
the inside that
counts)
• There is snow
covering everything
for 10 months of the
year in very harsh
conditions.
• What they use for
underpinning of
houses are whale
skulls and backbone
vertebrae.
5. • These whale ribs are
used as sentinels to
guide the Native
Alaskans back to the
right part of the shore
from their hunting
trips.
• As the island is flat
with no trees, this is
how they navigate.
• Each bone is unique
and recognizable to a
particular part of the
island.
6. S Alaskan ivory carvings reflect practices and techniques
that have been part of Alaskan culture for generations.
S Almost as interesting as the carvings themselves, are the
raw materials from which they are made.
S Some carvings are made from the fossilized ivory tusks
of the walrus.
S This ivory is already precious enough, but it’s made even
more so by the careful attention of native craftsmen, who
sculpt it into one-of-a-kind pieces of art.
7. S We are going to attempt our very own ivory carving… using soap!
Here are the steps:
S Get a bar of soap.
S Put down newspaper at desk
S Decide on a subject to carve
S Draw an outline of the carving on the soap
S Obtain an exacto knife.
S Remove the soap outside the outline using slivers, not large chips.
S Add detail to the inside of the outline to refine the design further.
S Repair small cracks and rough patches by using a toothpick to slightly
dampen the area, then smooth over the cracks with your fingers.
