Inuit Miniature Dog Sled with Figure and Seals huge whimsy and this terrific alligator cracking

and this terrific alligator cracking to the paint on the "good" side

minor and I don't think detracting

I have seen images of orange canisters just like these topped with highly stylized pointy lids ending in exaggerated bulbous tips

but with more all of the metal points still in place and

I think it appears a bit more intense and maybe a little sad in photos than it does in person

Inuit Miniature Dog Sled with Figure and Seals huge whimsy and this terrific alligator crackingBased on a few other Inuit carvings of dog sleds I have found in a similar manner, I think this one may come from the Nunavat region in Northern Canada, and would think likely dates to the mid 20th century or so, at a time when thousands of Inuit sled dogs (qimmiit) were killed in a government initiative to pressure Inuit people to abandon traditional subsistence hunting and ways of life. Also around this time (and in response), artist cooperatives