Bear Skull Sculpture

Emily Pangnerk Illuitok was an artist from the Kitikmeot community in Pelly Bay, Nunavut, Canada. According to the interpretation of Ronald Brower Sr., an Iñupiaq artist from Barrow, Alaska, this sculpture embodies the story of Sirragina, which is another name for the sea goddess Sedna. The two birds appear to be Ingagiurak, associated with sea folks, living along open water and helpful to humans in need. The detailed features made of walrus ivory are nestled within a polar bear skull, and the hair strands that frame the human-like faces are made from the baleen of the bowhead whale. Through the use of animal-based materials along with the theme of human/non-human cooperation, this work may be understood as a tribute to northern animals, which are featured as subjects, contributors, and collaborators.