A. Stone

      The artists work with natural materials found on the land; stone being the most common raw material. Occasionally, an artist will combine the different media of stone, whalebone, baleen, sealskin, caribou antler, ivory and muskox horn. Preference for one medium over another often depends on the availability of the locally found raw material.

      The term "soapstone" is often used to describe carvings from the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Pieces carved out of stone are NOT all made of soapstone! In actuality, there are very few soapstone deposits in the NWT. Soapstone is made of talc steatite and is very, very soft (a 1-2 on the hardness scale).

      Serpentine, the usual stone found in the Arctic, is a different, much harder class of mineral, does not scratch with your thumbnail and comes in a variety of colours, from yellow to green to brown to black. Other stone found in the Arctic and used in carvings are siltstone, argillite, dolomite, quartzite, marble and basalt. See FAQ #5. Does the Stone or Style vary from region to region?

      When you see a carving made out of alabaster, be aware that this is not indigenous rock, but something imported from an entirely different area, often outside of Canada, such as Italy, Brazil, or Arizona (USA). Although some galleries will tell you this does not affect the value (many don't even advise you of the origin), this simply is not true. First of all, alabaster is an extremely soft stone to work with. Secondly, the whole attraction of Inuit art is that it is made of indigenous material by hand of indigenous peoples.

B. Whalebone

      Weathered bone is found at sites once occupied by the ancient Thule people who followed the great bowhead whales along the coast into the central and eastern Arctic. Whale ribs were used as roofs for their half-buried sod houses. Today, Inuit carvers find a different inspiration in the curving shapes and pitted textures of the whalebone. Fresh whalebone cannot be used as it is oily (not to mention smelly) and splinters if the artist attempts to carve it. The older the whalebone, the better it is for carving.

C. Ivory

      In the Arctic, ivory is obtained from several sources: walrus tusks and teeth, teeth of sperm and killer whales, and narwhal tusks. Incising carved objects with thin lines, a traditional practice from Arctic prehistory, gave rise to scrimshaw, the ornamentation of shells, ivory and bone by engraving. The peak years of scrimshaw art coincided with the whaling period [c 1830-1850]. Complex scenes were incised on ivory with fine, sharp tools. Filling the lines with soot, charcoal or India ink brought out the detail. The completed engraving was then polished with whale oil.

D. Muskox Horn

      Muskox horn carvings have a soft, rippled texture, shading from cream to warm brown, with the ends often black. The shape of the horn itself is often not recognizable as artists freely use their imagination to evoke the animal and human subjects the material suggests to them. Canada geese are a favourite subject matter made from muskox horn, often mounted on a piece of caribou antler for stability.

E. Caribou Antler

      Often mistaken for Ivory by the untrained eye, caribou antler is a very strong and hard material, enabling the artist to carve fine detail and intricate designs. Because of the shape, people are often a favourite subject matter. The sprawled ends of the caribou antler are used frequently for the bases of dioramas (little scenes), or just as a base for the caribou figure itself. Caribou antler is often used for jewellery