This outstanding sculpture by master carver Kiawak Ashoona has true personality with a lighthearted and carefree attitude. The pale green stone is given texture by the gold ribbons of colour marbled throughout. Long, piercing tusks carved from caribou antler provide a strong contrast to the otherwise round and bulky form.
The dancing walrus is a recurring theme in Inuit art. The meaning of a dancing walrus can be simply a naturalistic depiction of a playful animal, or in many cases it can represent a disguised shaman poised between heaven and earth. If the shaman needed to appease the spirits he would meet with them in the form of an animal or bird. If he needed to meet the sea gods, he would transform into a walrus or seal. Some dancing walrus’s are also a symbol of reincarnation. Experiencing the afterlife as a walrus is among the Inuits’ favoured choice. Therefore some carvings express the joy of the second return.
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