Institute for Biodiversity Science and Sustainability

CAS Anthropology Collections Database


Catalog Number

CAS 2016-0001-0004   CAS 2016-0001-0004; Placemat
Category Tools & Implements; Visual Arts
Object Name Placemat
Culture Inupiat
Global Region North America
Country USA
State/Prov./Dist. Alaska
County Anchorage
Other Geographic Data City: Anchorage
Maker's Name George Aden Ahgupuk (1911-2001)
Date of Manufacture 1974
Collection Name N/A
Materials Paper; Plastic
Description Commercially made plastic-covered placemat showing a reproduction of a pen and ink drawing on the front entitled “Eskimo Blanket Toss”; Image shows nine Eskimo men gathered in a circle and holding the edges of blanket or skin on which a tenth man is being tossed into the air; All men are dressed in parkas, some with the hood up, others with it down; Behind the men is shown an inverted skin-covered boat on a storage rack with its ribs exposed, and a skin stretched out to dry; Artist’s signature “George Ahgupuk” is reproduced in lower right corner; Imprinted in lower left corner is “COPYRIGHT MCMLXXIV BY GRIFFIN’S - ALASKA” and in lower center “Eskimo Blanket Toss”; Reverse side of placemat shows a reproduction of a light beige woven fabric framed with a thin beige border and wider white border.
Dimensions (cm) Width = 29.3, Thickness = 0.1, Length = 42.2