Canadian Eskimo Art

Ot: Canada Department of Northern Affairs and National Resources, 1962. paperback. Good. 0x0x0. Wraps are lightly soiled, stapled binding in very good condition, internally clean. 40 pages, illustrated in black and white. ARTISTIC expression in Canada has taken many and varied forms because of the diverse elements from which our nation has been fashioned. The early French settlers, the British who followed them and the more recent Canadians who have come from many parts of Europe and the world have all made their essential contribution to the cultural life of Canada. Few forms of artistic endeavour, however, have attracted wider public interest and enthusiasm, both here and abroad, than the work of our Indian and Eskimo peoples. This booklet deals exclusively with the remarkable carvings of the Eskimos, a small but important group in the Canadian population. Carving has always been an essential part of the hunting culture of the Cana-dian Eskimos. With only natural resources such as stone, occasional pieces of driftwood and ivory and bone with which to make efficient hunting tools, Eskimos, of necessity, became accomplished carvers. We may be grateful that this skill was not restricted to the manufacture of tools. Since early times, other objects have been carved. Perhaps for magical reasons, for success in hunting, for toys, or for amusement, small figures of men and animals were carved in the round. Hunting and domestic scenes were also engraved on stone, bone and ivory. This booklet outlines the development of Eskimo carving and shows the varia-tions in form and subject of carving and other Eskimo crafts. Like the figures of animals, men and birds, all Eskimo handicrafts are characterized by simplicity and strength. Although all the work produced cannot be classed as art or sculp-ture, it never fails to provide a fascinating reflection of Eskimo life.