ESKIMO ART

ESKIMO ART

A climate of ice and snow stretches across northern Siberia, Alaska, Canada, and Greenland for most of the year. Nothing grows. It is always cold. But the Eskimos are able to live there. They have lived in North America for at least 28,000 years. Eskimos call themselves Inuit, which means "people". For thousands of years the Inuit thought they were the only people in the world because they never saw other people.

Life in this part of the world is probably the most difficult anywhere. People have only necessary things. But they have developed beautiful art because for them art is very important – it is essential.

The Eskimo artist takes a piece of ivory from a sea animal and holds it in his hands. Slowly he turns it, feels it, and locks at it. Then he begins carving the piece of ivory with a knife. As he begins cutting and shaping, he starts to dream. He knows there is a hidden form of an animal in the ivory. As the artist dreams and carves, the animal slowly appears. It might be a seal or a whale. It might be a life close to mature. They feel a closeness to the land and to the people and animals that live there. Eskimos know how animals move and how they look when they stand still. The Eskimo artist is able to make an ivory or bone animal that catches the feeling of a living animal exactly.

Why do Eskimos make small animals from ivory? Do these animals have a special meaning in Eskimo society? Social scientists cannot answer these questions. The Eskimos do not tell them, so they can only guess.

A small ivory animal is not just a copy of a live one. It has something of the animal itself in it. Making the animal is more important to the Eskimo artist than owning or keeping it when it is finished. When an artist carves an ivory animal, he or she understands better how it feels to be an animal.

It is important to the Eskimos to feel and handle the small animal carving. Handling makes them smooth, and smoothness improves the carvings. They become even more beautiful. Many of the ivory animals do not have perfect shapes and will not stand up. They fall aver and roll around. This is not important. People should hold and feel the carvings, not just look at them.

Small Eskimo carvings of animals, birds, and people are very popular among people who visit the area where Eskimos live can see their art in museums. Most of us never see whales or seals, but when we see the beautiful form and color of and ivory or bone animal, we know beautiful the real animal are.