Scene Depicting Reindeer Herding, c. 1900
Inupiaq Culture, Alaska
fossil walrus ivory on ancient tool artifact
2.5” high x 9” long x 1.5” deep
Reindeer were introduced to the Inupiaq in the 1890’s as an emergency food source and to establish a new economic base. While not native to Alaska, herding quickly became a culturally significant tradition. Today, small, managed herds continue to roam the Seward Peninsula, providing food security and sustaining traditional lifeways for the Inupiaq people.
Provenance: Private Collection of Jeffrey R. Myers, New York, NY
Jeffrey R. Myers is a leading specialist and field collector of ancient and antique Alaskan indigenous art, with a primary focus on archeological walrus ivory and mammoth ivory. Mr. Myers spent 28 summers living in remote Alaskan communities (primarily on St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea). During this time, he lived alongside Native Alaskans as they excavated ancient, pre-historic ivories and tools.
