Punuk & Thule Eskimo Artifacts — Ice Creepers, Tester Terminals & Early Sled Runner
Seven early Eskimo walrus tusk artifacts from the Bering Sea region, predominantly Punuk and Thule, with a substantial weathered sled-runner section possibly dating to the Old Bering Sea period. Two ice creepers, engraved ice-tester terminals, a long fork-based point and a small hooked implement complete the group. The contrast between richly colored engraved pieces and the deeply weathered runner makes this a particularly varied collection of working objects.
The creepers show two approaches to providing traction: a pale arched example has low rectangular gripping projections, while a flatter, darker example has four rounded stud positions. Bindings passed through openings at the ends to hold the pieces beneath footwear, with the projecting surfaces biting into the ice. Wear remains evident on those working features.
The runner section is nearly 16 inches long, with a rounded tapering end, a flattened opposite end and coarse working marks across its surface. Its considerable wear and incomplete form give it a markedly different presence from the smaller engraved terminals. The long point retains a forked attachment end and roughened shaft; the smaller angled component resembles a meat-hook prong. Two pointed ice-tester fittings have divided ends and transverse engraving.
Cream, amber and dark brown surfaces show age-appropriate checks, pitting, abrasion and localized losses.
The large tusk section measures approximately 15.75 × 1.5 × 1.25 inches.
Provenance: From the collection of Karl R. Reinhard, D.V.M., Ph.D.; subsequently by family descent. A veterinarian and microbiologist whose field career extended from New Guinea to Alaska, Reinhard served with the United States Public Health Service beginning in 1951. During health-study visits to St. Lawrence Island between 1954 and 1960, he developed lasting friendships with residents of Gambell and Savoonga and assembled a collection of Indigenous artwork and historic objects. He remembered these years as the “golden period” of his career and later drew upon them for People of the Squeezed-Out Land: The Art and Times of an Eskimo Artist, an unpublished manuscript preserved in an annotated April 1975 draft. According to information provided by Reinhard’s family, the collection was exhibited at the University of Nebraska State Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1993–94.
Auction Estimate: $600–$800.
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Seven early Eskimo walrus tusk artifacts from the Bering Sea region, predominantly Punuk and Thule, with a substantial weathered sled-runner section possibly dating to the Old Bering Sea period. Two ice creepers, engraved ice-tester terminals, a long fork-based point and a small hooked implement complete the group. The contrast between richly colored engraved pieces and the deeply weathered runner makes this a particularly varied collection of working objects.
The creepers show two approaches to providing traction: a pale arched example has low rectangular gripping projections, while a flatter, darker example has four rounded stud positions. Bindings passed through openings at the ends to hold the pieces beneath footwear, with the projecting surfaces biting into the ice. Wear remains evident on those working features.
The runner section is nearly 16 inches long, with a rounded tapering end, a flattened opposite end and coarse working marks across its surface. Its considerable wear and incomplete form give it a markedly different presence from the smaller engraved terminals. The long point retains a forked attachment end and roughened shaft; the smaller angled component resembles a meat-hook prong. Two pointed ice-tester fittings have divided ends and transverse engraving.
Cream, amber and dark brown surfaces show age-appropriate checks, pitting, abrasion and localized losses.
The large tusk section measures approximately 15.75 × 1.5 × 1.25 inches.
Provenance: From the collection of Karl R. Reinhard, D.V.M., Ph.D.; subsequently by family descent. A veterinarian and microbiologist whose field career extended from New Guinea to Alaska, Reinhard served with the United States Public Health Service beginning in 1951. During health-study visits to St. Lawrence Island between 1954 and 1960, he developed lasting friendships with residents of Gambell and Savoonga and assembled a collection of Indigenous artwork and historic objects. He remembered these years as the “golden period” of his career and later drew upon them for People of the Squeezed-Out Land: The Art and Times of an Eskimo Artist, an unpublished manuscript preserved in an annotated April 1975 draft. According to information provided by Reinhard’s family, the collection was exhibited at the University of Nebraska State Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1993–94.
Auction Estimate: $600–$800.
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Estimate
Reserve
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