2-Way Dancing Bear 241-1270367

Artist: Ottokie Samayualie
Region: Kinngait (Cape Dorset)
Material: Serpentine
Dimensions:

Height: 11″
Width: 7.5″
Depth: 6″

The polar bear holds a revered place in Inuit culture, regarded as the sovereign of the ice floes, a creature whose strength and majesty command respect. According to one of the most cherished Inuit legends, an Inuk hopes that, in the next life, his spirit will be reborn as a bear. When this transformation occurs, the bear’s spirit, infused with an overwhelming sense of joy and gratitude for life, begins to dance—a graceful expression of pure happiness, echoing the harmony between the animal and the vast, frozen world it roams. This tale captures the deep connection between the Inuit people and the natural world, where the bear’s dance becomes a symbol of rebirth, freedom, and the eternal cycles of life.

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