Inuit Ulu Presentation Piece (Musk Ox Horn)

David · 4th March 2020, 09:20 PM

I just acquired this piece yesterday and while it is certainly outside my general area of collection i find it quite fascinating and could not resist it.
This is a ulu that seems to have been a presentation piece. An ulu, for those who don't know, is a traditional inuit multi-purpose tool mostly used for skinning and cleaning hides. Though it can be used as a weapon sometimes it seemed best placed in this Miscellaneous Forum.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulu
This is a rather large example that seems to be made from a circular saw blade. It uses a beautiful musk ox horn carved in the shape of a bird with inset eyes of an unknown material. Also unknown, unfortunately, is the name of the Inuit carver as i have been unable to locate any signature on the horn.
My assumption is that this was presented to a school teacher who spent 3 years in the far north wilderness of Gjoa Haven. I have assumed this because there are over 40 names individually scratched into the blade that all have the look of kid's handwriting. I would image this may have been the entire population of that school since at this time there were barely 1000 people living in Gjoa Haven, a very remote outpost on King William Island in Nunavut, Canada that was founded by the great explorer Roald Amundsen in 1903 when he first transversed the Northwest Passage. After he left the area the Inuit who where drawn to his camp to trade with him made it a permanent settlement.
I can't image the person who was presented with this ulu did not treasure it, so my thought is that they may have passed away and their heirs did not appreciate its value either historically or intrinsically. I got it from a fellow who purchased it in a shop some years ago. Strangely, while signed by all these students, the name of who it was presented to does not seem to be inscribed on the blade.
Anyway, i thought it might be of interest to some.
I included a screen shoot of google maps so that you can see exactly where this piece comes from.

Rick · 4th March 2020, 09:52 PM

That is a huge example, David.

Biggest one I've ever seen; circular saws are a popular source for the blades.

David · 4th March 2020, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick

That is a huge example, David.

Biggest one I've ever seen; circular saws are a popular source for the blades.

Yeah, that's why i threw in the photo of me holding it. I was surprised when i went to pick it up because there were no size references in the photos i saw. That's a big chunk o' horn there.

Ian · 5th March 2020, 09:20 PM

Interesting piece David. Very nicely carved and finished piece of horn.
Ian

Battara · 6th March 2020, 04:09 AM

H

ly Crap!

That's huge! And the best example I've ever seen!

David · 6th March 2020, 08:53 PM

Thanks for the comments gentlemen. Yes, i was quite surprised when i went to the sellers house to pick it up. The photos (i found this on Facebook marketplace) had no scale in them so i could not tell the actual size. It is a presentation piece so i guess they decided to make it a bit oversized for the occasion. I love the carving of the ox horn. It is simple, but elegant. There is a conservation of execution. Just enough form carved in place to bring the figure to life and no more.
I am a bit obsessed now with trying to find out more about it, but since the name of the person it was presented to is not on the blade it's sort of a dead end. Many of the kid's names that have been inscribed are just first names, but there are a few last names as well, but i'm not sure there are enough clues to figure out how it was gifted to and why. I do know that there are a lot of teachers in Canada who go up to the arctic and teach for a few years for the experience and then return home. My best guess is that the recipient was one of those.

4th March 2020, 09:20 PM	#1
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,113	Inuit Ulu Presentation Piece (Musk Ox Horn) I just acquired this piece yesterday and while it is certainly outside my general area of collection i find it quite fascinating and could not resist it. This is a ulu that seems to have been a presentation piece. An ulu, for those who don't know, is a traditional inuit multi-purpose tool mostly used for skinning and cleaning hides. Though it can be used as a weapon sometimes it seemed best placed in this Miscellaneous Forum. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulu This is a rather large example that seems to be made from a circular saw blade. It uses a beautiful musk ox horn carved in the shape of a bird with inset eyes of an unknown material. Also unknown, unfortunately, is the name of the Inuit carver as i have been unable to locate any signature on the horn. My assumption is that this was presented to a school teacher who spent 3 years in the far north wilderness of Gjoa Haven. I have assumed this because there are over 40 names individually scratched into the blade that all have the look of kid's handwriting. I would image this may have been the entire population of that school since at this time there were barely 1000 people living in Gjoa Haven, a very remote outpost on King William Island in Nunavut, Canada that was founded by the great explorer Roald Amundsen in 1903 when he first transversed the Northwest Passage. After he left the area the Inuit who where drawn to his camp to trade with him made it a permanent settlement. I can't image the person who was presented with this ulu did not treasure it, so my thought is that they may have passed away and their heirs did not appreciate its value either historically or intrinsically. I got it from a fellow who purchased it in a shop some years ago. Strangely, while signed by all these students, the name of who it was presented to does not seem to be inscribed on the blade. Anyway, i thought it might be of interest to some. I included a screen shoot of google maps so that you can see exactly where this piece comes from. Attached Images

6th March 2020, 04:09 AM	#5
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,217	Hly Crap! That's huge! And the best example I've ever seen!

4th March 2020, 09:52 PM	#2
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,290	That is a huge example, David. Biggest one I've ever seen; circular saws are a popular source for the blades.

5th March 2020, 09:20 PM	#4
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,194	Interesting piece David. Very nicely carved and finished piece of horn. Ian

6th March 2020, 08:53 PM	#6
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,113	Thanks for the comments gentlemen. Yes, i was quite surprised when i went to the sellers house to pick it up. The photos (i found this on Facebook marketplace) had no scale in them so i could not tell the actual size. It is a presentation piece so i guess they decided to make it a bit oversized for the occasion. I love the carving of the ox horn. It is simple, but elegant. There is a conservation of execution. Just enough form carved in place to bring the figure to life and no more. I am a bit obsessed now with trying to find out more about it, but since the name of the person it was presented to is not on the blade it's sort of a dead end. Many of the kid's names that have been inscribed are just first names, but there are a few last names as well, but i'm not sure there are enough clues to figure out how it was gifted to and why. I do know that there are a lot of teachers in Canada who go up to the arctic and teach for a few years for the experience and then return home. My best guess is that the recipient was one of those.