The Inuit believe that every living creature has a soul and that soul is “a tiny replica of the being it inhabits” and lives in the bladder (Furst and Furst 1982, 141). As a result, many miniature ivory effigies of animals and people have been produced and the Inuit place significant importance on the returning of seal bladders to the ocean to produce more seals (Furst and Furst 1982, 141).
Ivory seal and human effigy. 83.1363. Kravis Discovery Center. Early 1900s. Tulsa: Gilcrease Museum, https://collections.gilcrease.org/object/831363 (04/19/2017).
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