Native American... Eskimo Bead "N" Bone Earrings

Eskimos are the indigenous people who inhabit northern Canada, Greenland, Alaska and eastern Siberia. The term describes all of the people native to this circumpolar region, though they actually belong to several distinct tribes, each with their own crafts and traditions. Though these people all have different customs, they do share some cultural similarities due to the fact that they all live in Arctic or sub-Arctic landscapes, where farming is difficult.

12mm handmade porcelain Eskimo bead, bone donut, 4mm silver bead, silver fishhook earwires

Inupiats also make ivory engravings called scrimshaw. An Inupiat artist engraves an ivory plaque with a two-dimensional image, then rubs the plaque with lampblack. This image might be of an animal or a scene from everyday Eskimo life. Only indigenous people are legally allowed to own unworked ivory. However, others may purchase the ivory sculptures and scrimshaws that the indigenous people have created.