Figurine
Life Story
This small figure could have functioned as a cleat on a boat or as a charm of the kind used later by the Aleuts (see no. 226, UEA 666). It has two holes drilled across the back of the body, the lower one now broken. In simplicity of treatment it resembles a figure illustrated by Collins et al. (1973: 4), having a typically long Okvik face, though the nose is short. The material, eroded and fibrous at the back, could be caribou antler or bone.
Steven Hooper, 1997
Entry taken from Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Collection, Vol. 2: Pacific, African and Native North American Art, edited by Steven Hooper (Yale University Press, 1997) p. 224.
Provenance
Gift from K. J. Hewett to Robert and Lisa Sainsbury in 1976.
Donated to the Sainsbury Centre, University of East Anglia in 1978.
On display
Title/Description: Figurine
Born: 0200 c. BC - 0100 c.
Object Type: Figure
Materials: Antler/bone
Measurements: h. 63 x w. 12 x d. 5 mm
Accession Number: 403
Historic Period: Old Bering Sea I, 2nd century BC, 1st century AD
Production Place: Alaska, Bering Sea, North America, The Americas
Credit Line: Donated by Robert and Lisa Sainsbury, 1978
