Standing Bear

This standing bear features a raw carving style.

Serpentine Stone
Approx. 6 x 3 x 10cm
Reg. #C5-099392

Bears are often the subject of statues and symbolize the Inuit’s link with both the natural and the spiritual world. Their connection to Inuit spirituality stems from the Inuit belief that the universe is inhabited by human beings, dead beings known as ‘inuviniit’ and spirits, which are known as ‘tuurngait’. The Inuit believe that each human being has a spiritual essence ‘tarniq’ and a breath of life ‘arnirniq’, which are passed on to new human or animal bodies when somebody dies. In times gone by, shamans served as intermediaries between the human world, the world of dead beings and the spirit world. They received power and strength from tuurngaits in order to do this. The tuurngaits that helped the shamans often took the form of polar bears.