The Seals, Inua Mask

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The Seals, an Inua mask, is carved from walrus ivory with intricate scrimshaw work in red and black. The Inua is believed to be an inner, human-like spirit present in all living things.  It is an element common in late nineteenth-century Eskimo masks and the tradition upon which Taxac draws. The four outward protruding ivory pieces from the central mask are seal flippers and the fur lining the entire mask is polar bear.  It is set on a piece of ivory with a baleen stand.