Bidspirit auction | MAURICE NATTANGUK, MAMMOTH IVORY SCULPTURE

MAURICE NATTANGUK, MAMMOTH IVORY SCULPTURE - This lot features a Mammoth ivory sculpture by listed Inuit artist, Maurice Nattanguk. Signed underneath as shown in photos. This ivory sculpture measures, 1'' H x 2.25'' W x 2'' D. Maurice Nattanguk is an Inupiaq ivory carver born in 1954 on King Island, Alaska. As a young boy, he developed his skill in carving walrus ivory by watching his elders use traditional tools including bow drills, hand files and axes. Several decisions by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, including closing the schools sending all King Island children to the mainland for their education, made it difficult for the elders to continue to live on the Island. By 1970, all King Island people had moved to Nome and other mainland Alaskan communities to live year-round. However, even after the movement off the island, some King Islanders return to gather subsistence foods such as walrus and seal and still maintain a very distinct cultural identity, living a very similar life as they had on the island.