Double Figure Tupilak
Inuit, Greenland
caribou antler
3.5” high x .75” wide x 1.75” deep
Tupilak: A World of Souls and Spirits
In Greenlandic the word ‘tupilak’ means an ancestor’s soul or spirit, and is a reference to mysterious, sinister spirits. Today, the majority of the Inuit people of Greenland think of the small figures carved from bone, antler, or stone when the word ‘tupilak’ is mentioned.
Revenge Against Enemies
A tupilak spirit could be called upon by a shaman to help against a foe. By secretly creating a figure made from various bones or other parts of animals, the figure was then inaugurated and made a home for the spirit by singing a spell over it.
The tupilak was often put out to sea so that it could find the enemy itself and kill him. However, this course of action was not without risk because if the tupilak’s victim had greater powers of witchcraft than its creator, he could repel its attack and instead send the tupilak back to kill its originator.
Tupilaks as souvenirs
It is only in recent times that it has become a tradition to produce tupilaks as works of art. This began to occur in the late 1800's when Europeans began exploring East Greenland and became aware of these small figures.
Tupilaks are often carved based on inspiration from a number of other figures from Inuit mythology, for instance Sedna, Mother of the Sea or Kaali, the God of Fertility.
