{"product_id":"crawling-tupilak-greenlandic-inuit","title":"Vintage Crawling Tupilak, Greenlandic Inuit","description":"\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eVintage Crawling Tupilak, c. 1950\u003cbr\u003eGreenlandic Inuit\u003cbr\u003ewalrus ivory, baleen inlay\u003cbr\u003e1.5” high x 3.5” long x 1.5” wide\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eTupilaks: \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'San Francisco', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003eA world of souls and spirits\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eIn Greenlandic the word ‘tupilak’ means an ancestor’s soul or spirit, and previously reference was made to mysterious, sinister spirits when using this expression. Today, however, the majority of people think of the well-known small figures carved in tooth, bone or stone when the word ‘tupilak’ is mentioned.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p3\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eRevenge against enemies\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eA tupilak spirit could be called upon to help against a foe by a shaman 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p3\"\u003eThe 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p3\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eTupilaks as souvenirs\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eIt is only in recent times that it has become a tradition to produce tupilaks as works of art made from materials such as wood, bone, tooth and reindeer antler points. This began to occur in the previous century when Europeans began exploring East Greenland and became aware of these small figures.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p3\"\u003eTupilaks are often ground and carved based on inspiration from a number of other figures from Inuit mythology, for instance the Mother of the Sea.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Quintana Galleries","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53405204414575,"sku":null,"price":700.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1813\/7073\/files\/IV26028_Tupilak2.jpg?v=1782444808","url":"https:\/\/quintanagalleries.com\/products\/crawling-tupilak-greenlandic-inuit","provider":"Quintana Galleries","version":"1.0","type":"link"}