| Description |
Ivory cribbage board made from long walrus tusk whose distal end has been truncated and rounded, and whose edges and at least one surface have also been minimally modified; Carved separately and mounted on upper surface of the tusk are a small sled with separate driver (secured to seat with copper peg) and a team of three dogs (hitched to sled with sealskin and sinew harness); Eyes of the sledder and of the dogs are inset with baleen; Proximal end of tusk is hollowed out to form a storage compartment that contains four game pieces and is fitted with a hinged ivory trap door; Gaming area is drawn along either side of the sled and dog team and consists of row of six lightly incised and ink rectangles, with each one enclosing ten drilled holes for holding the gaming pieces; An additional drilled hole is positioned at each end of the gaming areas for holding gaming pieces not in use; Between each dog is depicted a circular design that is lightly incised and inked; Two smaller but similar designs appear on either side of the sled; Near the distal end of the tusk on the upper surface is depicted a ribbon seal resting on an ice floe; On the underside of the tusk a hunting scene shows a man in a Bering Strait style kayak throwing a spear at a walrus in the water, while a second walrus is climbing out of the water onto an ice floe and a third walrus is resting on an ice floe. |
