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THE ORIGINS OF IVORY: THE NARWHAL & THE WALRUS
THE ORIGINS OF IVORY | THE NARWHAL & THE WALRUS

"Tuugaaq in the Inuit language, Inuktitut, means ivory. It refers to the tusks of the walrus and the narwhal."
Inuit Elders, Pangnirtung
Narwhal Sculpture, 997.22.25.1-2
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Narwhal Tusk
Sculpture made of ivory
From Pangnirtung, Baffin Island
Dating to 1933-1942
Dr. Jon A. and Mrs. Muriel Bildfell Collection
997.22.25.1-2

Exclusive of the tusk, the narwhal grows to
4.9 metres (16 feet) in length. In the eastern Canadian Arctic, the narwhal winters in the open waters of Davis Strait and Baffin Bay. In spring they move westward through Lancaster Sound and Hudson Strait and also enter Cumberland Sound in southeastern Baffin Island. The eastward fall migration is underway by late August.

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Walrus sculpture, 997.22.22
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Atlantic Walrus
Sculpture made of ivory
From Pangnirtung, Baffin Island
Dating to 1933-1942
Dr. Jon A. and Mrs. Muriel Bildfell Collection
997.22.22
The eastern Arctic male walrus averages three metres (10 feet) in length and weighs about 760 kg (1,650 pounds). It undertakes only local migrations and is found in Hudson Bay and the waters surrounding Baffin Island, including Cumberland Sound.

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