inua

Inua

Spirit World of the Bering Sea Eskimo

y_919. Caribou Spirit Link taqeq

The link between a "real" animal and a spirit is sometimes depicted graphically by drawing lines between the two creatures. These connections are made at the throat near the origin of the lifeline. This image from the bottom of a bent-wood serving dish is surrounded with the usual black- and red- painted bands and carved grooves. The normal ,ale caribou is linked to a spiritual likeness - perhaps its inua or an ancestor spirit -- with a black band. In artistic portrayal, these spirits are identified by their spiked or spurred appendages which replace normal limbs. In myths and stories these connections are described as thin trails of fog.

y_920. Trinket box from Konigunugumut, 35 cm long.

Artifacts and drawings of tunghat are often shown with pierced and thumbless hands. These motifs are used to indicate the spirits' willingness to allow, by impairing their grasp, many animals to slip through their fingers, thus insuring the continued abundance of animals on earth. On this trinket box with thumbless hand showing two toothy beasts, the left one red and the right one, on a red panel, black. Between them, apparently contested, is a black figure of a spiked or male beluga. Both beasts have spiked arms with elbow and palm perforations. The red figure is cuffed and collared in black and has a black spike added to its arm and "teeth" in its perforations. These designs recall spiked and channeled "mouths" on the outstretched arms and crest of masks. This piece may represent a story of friendly and unfriendly beasts contesting the descent of a beluga spirit to earth.

y_921. Air bladder net float from Big Lake, 25 cm .

Ornamented with a thumbless, black spotted palm which is used to undicate the spirits' willingness to allow, by impairing their grasp, many animals to slip through their fingers, thus insuring the continued abundance of animals on earth.

y_922. Seal scratcher from Lower Yukon, 27.5 cm.

Hand gleams ornamented with a bright blue glass bead. (about significance of the thumbless image see info of two previous images)

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	y_919. Caribou Spirit Link *taqeq* The link between a "real" animal and a spirit is sometimes depicted graphically by drawing lines between the two creatures. These connections are made at the throat near the origin of the lifeline. This image from the bottom of a bent-wood serving dish is surrounded with the usual black- and red- painted bands and carved grooves. The normal ,ale caribou is linked to a spiritual likeness - perhaps its inua or an ancestor spirit -- with a black band. In artistic portrayal, these spirits are identified by their spiked or spurred appendages which replace normal limbs. In myths and stories these connections are described as thin trails of fog.
	y_920. Trinket box from Konigunugumut, 35 cm long. Artifacts and drawings of tunghat are often shown with pierced and thumbless hands. These motifs are used to indicate the spirits' willingness to allow, by impairing their grasp, many animals to slip through their fingers, thus insuring the continued abundance of animals on earth. On this trinket box with thumbless hand showing two toothy beasts, the left one red and the right one, on a red panel, black. Between them, apparently contested, is a black figure of a spiked or male beluga. Both beasts have spiked arms with elbow and palm perforations. The red figure is cuffed and collared in black and has a black spike added to its arm and "teeth" in its perforations. These designs recall spiked and channeled "mouths" on the outstretched arms and crest of masks. This piece may represent a story of friendly and unfriendly beasts contesting the descent of a beluga spirit to earth.
	y_921. Air bladder net float from Big Lake, 25 cm . Ornamented with a thumbless, black spotted palm which is used to undicate the spirits' willingness to allow, by impairing their grasp, many animals to slip through their fingers, thus insuring the continued abundance of animals on earth.
	y_922. Seal scratcher from Lower Yukon, 27.5 cm. Hand gleams ornamented with a bright blue glass bead. (about significance of the thumbless image see info of two previous images)