Shaman Transformation Drummer

• Main Author: Olanna, Richard
• Other Authors: Given to the University of Washington Libraries by Norman Jenisch Rose and Louise R. Rose
• Language: unknown
• Subjects: Bering Sea; Elliot; eskimo*; Nome; Alaska
• Online Access: http://cdm16786.contentdm.oclc.org:80/cdm/ref/collection/p16786coll14/id/87

About the Piece: "The art of carving whalebone in Eskimo culture is over 2,000 years old and was followed by ivory carvings. The carvers use very simple tools, such as file, saws and sandpaper. They also have a special process for drying and cleaning the bone. The traditional native carver uses the natural shape of the bone in his sculpture like his ancestor before him. Reducing the size of the bone to make a smaller carving is considered wasteful! Fresh whalebone is never used. Whalebone carvings show the balance of man and nature since the Alaskan Native has been recycling this material for several thousand years." About the Artist: "Richard was born and raised in Shishmaref. This small spit of land is 110 miles north of Nome, Alaska in the Bering Sea. Most residents in Shishmaref live a subsistence lifestyle; hunting seals and caribou, and living off the land. Richard's been carving for about 20 years. He is the son of Elliot Olanna and learned to carve from his father." Information provided by the Sitka Rose Gallery, Inc., Sitka Alaska