What is this?

Tishtash

Greenie
Jan 23, 2020
14
14
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
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So keywords should be walrus ivory and Billiken or just carving? Also should I say Inuit or Alaskan or native? Sorry new to this and my husband isn't really helping me
 

So keywords should be walrus ivory and Billiken or just carving? Also should I say Inuit or Alaskan or native? Sorry new to this and my husband isn't really helping me

Not trying to be funny, but you have an ID (Inuit-style Billiken carving), a probable origin (indeterminate Alaskan), a material of construction (walrus ivory), a date range (1909-vintage/modern), and a potted history of how these things came about, plus a museum exhibit picture from Alaska showing multiple similar examples. What exactly are you hoping to find in the way of additional information?

It's always a little disconcerting when people say "I can't find one like mine" since it suggests they're hoping to find a web picture of an identical example. Life's not like that, I'm afraid. As @AARC points out, these were hand-carved in individual styles and, when made from a walrus 'tusk', often took their overall shape from the tusk itself. That's probably why yours has some wonky curvature at the pointy end. It's a little crude in form which may or may not suggest it's from the earlier part of the possible dating but, apart from that, it won't be possible to date it unless you can track it to the work of an individual carver. That's also unlikely for a piece which isn't signed.
 

Very cool piece, congrats on the nice find! :icon_thumleft:
 

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