Susie Silook Yup’ik Inupiaq Eskimo Sculpture Whale Maker
$8,000.00
Susie Silook Yup’ik Inupiaq Eskimo Sculpture Whale Maker
Susie Silook, one of the most original artists to come out of Alaska, created an evocative sculpture with two beings. This sculpture, carved in 2024, represents a being often credited with bringing whales to the people of Alaska to be hunted.
Carved from walrus tusk with a walnut base.
Sculpture is 12 1/2 inches high x 2 inches wide x 1 inch deep. Including the base, it is 17 inches high.
Artist’s statement:
In Whale Maker I was thinking of our spring clan ceremony, of the portions of last springs gift of the whale placed in small trays, made exclusively for the “sacrifice” to the Spirit and Provider of the mammals that resided on the moon. It was both a ceremony expressing gratitude and a form of “prayer”, to this “lower authority”, as my father Saavla, Roger Silook I, called the Spirit on the Moon. It was not a Moon Worship.
Our understanding was that the Source of Life, Kiyaaghneq, was ultimately mysterious and unknowable to mere humans. Utmost humility was required. Our traditional men’s haircuts mirrored our cosmology, and were similar to Fransiscan monk’s circular styled cuts; halo like. Our homes also featured this circle, and our womens braids.
In the work, in The Whale Makers lightening hand is depicted the spirit of the whale, which is a woman. The symbolism is in continuity with the forms of our historical art forms, with the man partially stylized in resemblance to the dolls, human forms, of our rich cultural heritage.
In honor of my Grandfathers I celebrate our men in this work, for we are still standing because they nourished us for millenia in our formidible icy environment, going forth into the storms, in humility, and hopes of being seen as worthy by the sentient whales who willingly sacrificed their existence in furtherance of The Life Force to which we all belong.
Paallengetaq
Aka Susie Silook
November 7, 2024
In stock
Artist: Susie SilookSusie Silook Yup’ik Inupiaq Eskimo Sculpture Whale Maker
Susie Silook, one of the most original artists to come out of Alaska, created an evocative sculpture with two beings. This sculpture, carved in 2024, represents a being often credited with bringing whales to the people of Alaska to be hunted.
Carved from walrus tusk with a walnut base.
Sculpture is 12 1/2 inches high x 2 inches wide x 1 inch deep. Including the base, it is 17 inches high.
Artist’s statement:
In Whale Maker I was thinking of our spring clan ceremony, of the portions of last springs gift of the whale placed in small trays, made exclusively for the “sacrifice” to the Spirit and Provider of the mammals that resided on the moon. It was both a ceremony expressing gratitude and a form of “prayer”, to this “lower authority”, as my father Saavla, Roger Silook I, called the Spirit on the Moon. It was not a Moon Worship.
Our understanding was that the Source of Life, Kiyaaghneq, was ultimately mysterious and unknowable to mere humans. Utmost humility was required. Our traditional men’s haircuts mirrored our cosmology, and were similar to Fransiscan monk’s circular styled cuts; halo like. Our homes also featured this circle, and our womens braids.
In the work, in The Whale Makers lightening hand is depicted the spirit of the whale, which is a woman. The symbolism is in continuity with the forms of our historical art forms, with the man partially stylized in resemblance to the dolls, human forms, of our rich cultural heritage.
In honor of my Grandfathers I celebrate our men in this work, for we are still standing because they nourished us for millenia in our formidible icy environment, going forth into the storms, in humility, and hopes of being seen as worthy by the sentient whales who willingly sacrificed their existence in furtherance of The Life Force to which we all belong.
Paallengetaq
Aka Susie Silook
November 7, 2024
| Weight | 6 lbs |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 32 × 12 × 12 in |
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