A signed argillite model pole by Haida artist Glen Pollard (B. 1957), bringing a Raven and Bear into a narrow, rising composition. The reverse is hand-inscribed “HAIDA / Raven + Bear / Glen Pollard.” Undated, late twentieth or early twenty-first century. Raven occupies the upper register, its long straight beak projecting beyond the pole's edge and a rounded wing folded tightly against the body. Below, Bear turns outward in profile with a broad snout, curling nostril, triangular teeth and a large almond-shaped eye. Its forelegs gather into paired, rounded forms above the haunches and paws at the base. The two animals remain distinct, yet Pollard interlocks their silhouettes so Raven's feet meet the crown of Bear's head. Shallow, precisely cut relief gives the polished black stone a second register of gray. Nested ovoids articulate Raven's eye and wing; U-forms and split shapes organize Bear's body; tight hatching fills small recessed passages between the larger forms. These changes in depth make the design legible without applied color. Antler inlay at the eyes contrasts with the black argillite, off-white at Raven's eye and warm tan at Bear's. The carved panel rises from a rectangular black plinth. Its profile is unusually slender, concentrating the modeling on the front while leaving the reverse largely flat for the inscription. Pollard was born in Haida Gwaii in 1957 and belongs to the Eagle clan of Tanu. He began drawing as a child and carving argillite as a teenager, continuing the Haida practice of working the black stone obtained from the Slatechuck area of Haida Gwaii. Measures approximately 2.75" wide × 1.75" deep × 7" high. Auction Estimate: $400–$600.

Three Northwest Coast carved and painted wooden paddle models, second half twentieth century, with transverse grips, narrow waisted shafts and elongated blades decorated in black and red. Two feature related arrangements of ovoids, eye forms and crosshatched panels; the third depicts two opposed fishlike figures. Exact tribal affiliation undetermined. On the lighter of the two related paddles, a fine black line encloses a central eye within a broad red surround, with an inverted U-shaped field at the shoulder of the blade. Its companion uses a heavier black framework around rich red and brown passages. Curved reserves and diagonal crosshatching complete the designs. The third paddle has a more open linear composition, with two rounded heads meeting near the center and forked tails extending outward. Paired eyes, small finlike forms and curved interior strokes are joined by a patterned red-and-black crescent along one edge. Golden-brown wood remains visible around the painted decoration. Visible condition includes rubbed and scratched surfaces, paint wear, small holes, and losses and splintering at blade edges and tips, particularly on the two lighter examples. The darker paddle retains a more continuous outline. Largest approximately 3" wide × 18.5" long. Auction Estimate: $200–$300.

A large carved and painted wooden bird mask by Lola E. A. Ferguson (B. 1963), the Cu'pig/Cup'ik artist of Mekoryuk, Nunivak Island. A long white neck rises from the elongated body, bringing the upturned, rust-red bill and the fish held crosswise in its mouth well forward of the surrounding double bentwood hoop. Signed on the reverse “Lola E A Ferguson,” with “Nunivak Island” and “Mekoryuk, AK.” Undated; probably late twentieth or early twenty-first century. The bird is treated as a fully modeled figure rather than a flat face within a frame. Its narrow black throat stripe descends into a densely patterned breast, where rows of white feathers alternate with black and reddish-brown fields. At the center is a second, long-snouted animal face: pointed ears rise above dark eyes, and a pale, tooth-lined mouth extends down the breast. This smaller image is an integral part of the painted composition, not simply another feather panel. The surrounding framework expands the central figure into a nearly symmetrical arrangement of separate carvings. Two fish and a small bird head occupy the upper arc; broad feather-patterned wings project to either side. Hand- or flipper-shaped elements with dark-tipped digits, short cylindrical terminals, webbed feet and a feathered tail complete the perimeter. Slender rods and pale fiber bindings connect the components to two reddish-brown hoops. White grounds, fine black lines and restrained rust-red passages unify the many individually shaped parts. Ferguson learned from her father, Peter Smith, and fellow Mekoryuk carver Harry O. Shavings. Her wooden-mask practice includes adaptations of her father's loon, double-walrus and halibut designs, with the present long-necked bird reflecting the loon form. Her work is represented in private and museum collections, including a puffin mask in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. That mask entered the museum in 2005 from the collection of R. E. Mansfield. Visible condition includes light surface rubbing and small paint losses around some projecting parts and attachment points. The intricate rods, hoops and bindings warrant careful handling. The appendages are easily removable for shipping purposes. Approximately 32.5" × 28.5" × 14.5". Auction Estimate: $1,000–$1,500. Note Regarding Shipping Services: This item may require custom boxing or crating depending on destination and available carrier services. Before bidding, contact Shipping@AlaskaPremierAuctions.com or call/text 907.570.7050.

An exceptionally large Northwest Coast sheep horn feast scoop or ladle, likely early twentieth century. Its broad, deeply hollowed bowl rises to a rounded, pointed end, while the opposite side retains the attachment area for a separately fitted handle, now absent. The substantial proportions distinguish it as a serving implement. The horn ranges from warm honey and caramel to deep brown, with flowing natural striations across the interior and exterior. The asymmetrical basin and rounded underside give the scoop a strong sculptural presence, particularly apparent in its deep profile. Northwest Coast makers softened horn with steam and shaped it into bowls, often attaching separately carved handles. Horn spoons and ladles formed part of the serving equipment of traditional feasts; this example is distinguished by its unusually broad and capacious bowl. Surface wear, abrasions and localized checking are consistent with age and use. The original handle is missing. Approximately 11" × 7" × 6" high. Auction Estimate: $200–$400.

An animated brown bear front-half taxidermy wall mount, posed mid-attack with jaws open and both forelegs thrust forward. The lifted head, exposed canines and reaching paws give it an arresting presence, somewhere between a dramatic wilderness encounter and the stuff of nightmares. Dense brown fur shades from deep brown at the chest and forelegs to golden tips across the head and shoulders. One paw is raised with its dark pads facing outward, while the other turns inward, displaying curved claws in profile. Rounded ears, dark inset eyes and a modeled tongue complete the lively expression. The torso terminates below the chest with a flat backing for wall display. Owners may wish to warn overnight guests before their midnight trip to the restroom—this is a memorable bear to meet in a dark hallway. Visible condition includes pale speckling and finish wear on the nose, rubbed or lightened areas around the lower lip, and localized wear at the paw pads and claw bases. The fur remains visually full across the principal display surfaces. Approximately 21" × 29" × 29" high. Auction Estimate: $600–$800. Alaska Department of Fish & Game Permit #26-052-O, valid through 01.01.2027. Note Regarding Shipping Services: This item is exceptionally large and/or heavy, and may require custom boxing or crating depending on the intended destination and available carrier services. For more information prior to bidding, please email us at Shipping@AlaskaPremierAuctions.com or call/text us at 907.570.7050.

A large Grizzly Bear textile banner by Haida artist Robert Davidson (b. 1946), circa 1978. It comes from a limited edition of 200 linen-and-cotton banners produced for the City of Vancouver. Screenprinted in black and red on a natural-toned woven ground, the nearly seven-foot hanging presents the bear in profile, with an oversized head, a single round eye in an elongated eye field, and a long red mouth divided by fine black tooth lines. Broad red bands descend through the body and bent limbs, interrupted by nested ovoids, U-forms and pointed reserves of unprinted cloth. The black crown and back contour anchor the upper figure, while the predominantly red lower passages extend its silhouette almost the full height of the hanging. The open cloth around the design is an active part of the image: narrow light channels separate the limbs and clarify the continuous sweep of the outline. The same composition is visible in reverse through the woven fabric. Hemmed at the top and bottom, unframed. Visible condition includes horizontal and vertical fold creases, handling marks and scattered small spots or areas of discoloration, particularly apparent on the reverse. Approximately 47" wide × 85" high. Davidson is a leading figure in the renewal of Haida art and culture, celebrated for bringing a deeply learned command of traditional design into ambitious contemporary work. A great-grandson of Charles Edenshaw and a student of Bill Reid, he began carving as a teenager. At just twenty-two, he raised the first totem pole in Massett in nearly ninety years, giving community elders an opportunity to celebrate their culture through a major public ceremony. His career encompasses monumental carving, painting, printmaking and jewelry. His honors include the Order of Canada, the Order of British Columbia and the Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts. His work is held by the National Gallery of Canada, Vancouver Art Gallery and Canadian Museum of History. The bold scale and economical red-and-black design of this banner bring that distinguished graphic practice into an unusually commanding textile format. Auction Estimate: $300–$500.

An exceptional Iñupiaq Eskimo scrimshaw walrus head mount, first half twentieth century, likely Nome, with strong King Island influence. The rostrum retains two long, inward-curving tusks whose inner and outer faces carry a richly varied record of Arctic wildlife, hunting and travel. Warm natural coloration and the assured detail of the engraving give this early example considerable character. The Iñupiaq artist’s name is now unrecorded. Among the most engaging details are a fully rendered salmon and a small grouping of rabbits, their lively treatment adding a whimsical counterpoint to the hunting scenes. A pod of whales is distinguished by finely textured bodies, while seals rest together on ice. Elsewhere, a hunter in a kayak approaches a harpooned walrus, three walruses gather on an ice floe, and a carefully drawn harpoon and line appear alongside a musher, loaded sled, three dogs and two birds. Fine hatching, stippling and darkened outlines give the small figures unusual clarity across the curved tusk surfaces. Small blue bead inlays decorate the bone, with two dark circular insets and pale centers forming eyes. These colorful accents complement the densely worked tusks and give the head an individual, animated appearance. Condition includes a pronounced diagonal fracture near the base of the walrus’s right tusk, gaps around both tusks at their sockets, smaller surface checks and scattered empty inlay holes. One smaller upper tooth is absent. Approximately 8.5" × 5" × 23" tall overall. The salmon and rabbits recall the engaging naturalism associated with the celebrated Iñupiaq scrimshaw artist Angokwazhuk, known as Happy Jack, whose work helped shape the Nome engraving tradition during the gold-rush era. His success encouraged other Iñupiaq artists to adopt similarly detailed pictorial scenes. Here, that influence finds expression in a particularly appealing combination of observed wildlife, hunting equipment and everyday travel. Auction Estimate: $2,000–$2,500. Note Regarding Shipping Services: This item is exceptionally large and/or heavy, and may require custom boxing or crating depending on the intended destination and available carrier services. For more information prior to bidding, please email Shipping@AlaskaPremierAuctions.com or call/text 907.570.7050.

A group of Eskimo artifacts and historic objects from Alaska, including four historic ulus with stone blades dating to the nineteenth century or earlier, a decorated handle or bow-drill component, a crooked knife with a steel blade, and an engraving tool with a steel bit tip. Several stone ulu blades are likely substantially earlier than the nineteenth century. Their broad cutting edges contrast with the narrow steel blades and points of the smaller tools. The four ulus have broad gray to nearly black blades and handles of various materials, including wood and porous bone-like material. Blade profiles range from shallow curves to a large, irregular crescent, with rounded, rectangular and trapezoidal grips. Some handles appear to be appropriate matches to their blades, while others may be later replacements. The crooked knife has a short, upturned steel blade and a long composite handle incorporating pale organic material and dark wood. Handwritten inscriptions include “Alaska” and “Alaska Eskimo Knife.” A decorated handle, possibly a bow-drill component, and a slender steel-tipped engraving tool complete the group. Wear includes chipped blade edges, handle checks, metal oxidation and an open seam in the crooked knife handle. The engraving tool measures approximately 10.5 inches long by 0.5 inch in diameter. Auction Estimate: $400–$600.

An Alaskan Dall sheep ram shoulder mount, posed upright with the head turned slightly to its left. The cream-white cape frames amber-colored artificial eyes, a dark nose and closed mouth. Heavy, deeply ridged horns sweep backward and downward around the sides of the head, then rise to long tapered tips, creating the mount's broad, open silhouette. The reverse has an exposed wooden backboard, a recessed hanging opening and a metal bracket, with the handwritten number “#650.” Light yellowing or discoloration is apparent across the shoulders and back of the neck, with minor surface marks and wear to the horn ridges. Approximately 18" × 20" × 27" tall overall. Sale Permit: 26-086-O, expires October 1, 2027. Auction Estimate: $800–$1,000. Note Regarding Shipping Services: This item is exceptionally large and/or heavy, and may require custom boxing or crating depending on the intended destination and available carrier services. For more information prior to bidding, please email Shipping@AlaskaPremierAuctions.com or call/text 907.570.7050.

Three historic Alaska Native hand tools, nineteenth century: an adze associated with the Kuskokwim River, a root-digging pick and a compact pierced bone tool. Surviving lashings and carefully shaped grips reveal how their makers combined wood, bone or antler, and cutting materials into equipment suited to different tasks. The adze has a broad, hook-shaped wooden handle and a dark, flared metal blade, secured by closely wound bindings. Its handwritten inscription reads “ALASKA INDIAN ADZ” and associates it with the Kuskokwim River and shaping canoes from logs. The blade’s position across the handle allowed controlled strokes for shaping or hollowing a wooden surface. The root pick pairs a broad wooden grip with a long, tapering bone or antler point, firmly lashed at an angle. Wide hide-like straps pass through the handle, securing the two parts where the force of digging would be concentrated. The smallest tool has an oblong hand opening in a waisted bone body, with brown strips securing a narrow projecting element. Its precise task remains uncertain, possibly hide working or related pressure work. Age-appropriate use wear includes worn tips, edge losses, wood checks and frayed or split bindings. The broad wooden handle has a prominent crack near its lashed head. The largest tool measures approximately 13 inches. Auction Estimate: $400–$600.

A mounted walrus rostrum, the front portion of the skull, retaining two very hefty, thick, long tusks decorated with wildlife scrimshaw by Iñupiaq artist Thomas Ahtuangaruak, associated with Barrow, now Utqiaġvik, Alaska. Each tusk is signed “ahtuangaruak.” Six puffins follow the outer face of one tusk, alternately standing and resting along a lightly drawn rocky ledge. Dark crosshatched bodies contrast with pale faces and breasts, with orange accents on bills and feet. The opposing tusk shows five seals on separate narrow ice floes. Their differing coats include spots, dense diagonal hatching and the distinctive pale bands of a ribbon seal. The tusks curve inward until their tips nearly meet, bringing the two wildlife sequences into a single sweeping frame beneath the rostrum. The bright puffin accents on one side balance the subtler differences in seal markings on the other. Eight smaller upper teeth remain beneath the rostrum. The bone is cream to tan with darker patches, exposed porous areas and some worn edges. Remnants of amber-colored adhesive or mounting compound remain visible through both tusk sockets, as photographed, and the rostrum is secured to a dark-stained wooden plaque with a hanging wire en verso. The plaque measures approximately 12" × 28". Recorded rostrum-and-tusk dimensions are approximately 6.5" × 5.5" × 23.5" overall, with each tusk stated to measure about 17.5". Auction Estimate: $1,200–$1,600. Note Regarding Shipping Services: This item is exceptionally large and/or heavy, and may require custom boxing or crating depending on the intended destination and available carrier services. For more information prior to bidding, please email Shipping@AlaskaPremierAuctions.com or call/text 907.570.7050.

A beautiful polished walrus tusk by Alaska Native Aleut artist Richard Freeman, decorated with three swans in flight against a densely stippled blue night sky. The birds overlap across the broad face, their long necks stretched forward and wings rising and spreading above a dark line of evergreen trees. A pale full moon, shaded with small dark patches, illuminates the scene. Fine incised feather details and closely worked dots give the birds volume while preserving the tusk's warm cream color as their plumage. The contrast depends on the material itself: uncolored tusk becomes the light of the moon and wings against the densely worked blue sky. The gently curved tusk narrows to a blunt, rounded end. Its undecorated reverse shows honey-colored variation, while mottled secondary dentine is exposed at the cut ends. The broad end is initialed “RF.” Approximately 9.5 inches long × 2.5 inches wide × 1.5 inches thick. Condition includes longitudinal hairline cracks, darker checks on the reverse, small radial end checks, surface scratches and localized discoloration. The fine stippling and feather detail remain distinct. Richard Freeman was born in Seattle and returned with his family to Afognak Island near Kodiak when he was three months old. A self-taught scrimshaw artist working in the medium since 1981, he developed his practice alongside a long career in commercial fishing. Known for finely detailed animals and birds, he works on walrus and mammoth tusk, using color and precise engraving to create closely observed wildlife scenes. The Anchorage Museum Store identifies Freeman as an Alaska Native Aleut artist from Kodiak. Here, his delicate feather work and densely stippled night sky demonstrate the control of light and texture that gives his colored scrimshaw its appeal. Auction Estimate: $600–$800.

A small but mighty lidded baleen basket by Oscar Sage (1925–2003) of Kivalina, Alaska. The low, rounded body and slightly domed lid are topped by a walrus finial carved from walrus tusk. Broad golden-blond stitches contrast with dark baleen coils, forming staggered diagonal patterns around the sides and concentric bands across the lid. The close-fitting cover repeats the body’s rounded profile, while walrus tusk starter discs anchor the weaving at the base and lid. The compact walrus finial has a rounded back, two short projecting tusks and dark inset eyes, standing on an integral oval foot. Its cream surface is warmed by tan mottling. The lid's tusk underside is inscribed “A. Sage”; a separate short mark appears inside the basket base. Oscar Sage resided in Kivalina, an Iñupiaq community on Alaska’s northwest coast. The interplay of pale stitches and dark coils gives the small basket a bold presence, while its carved walrus adds a lively sculptural accent. Approximately 3 inches in diameter × 2.5 inches high overall. Scattered light wear, as photographed. Some pale baleen ends are lifted or frayed near the center and edges. Auction Estimate: $400–$600.

A complete juvenile woolly mammoth tusk (Mammuthus primigenius) from the Pleistocene of Alaska, distinguished by its pronounced natural curve and rich mineralized colors. Cream tones transition into deep brown and black, with subtle blue hues woven through the surface. The slender, tapering form preserves the graceful sweep characteristic of mammoth tusks, while its relatively compact size allows the varied coloration to be appreciated at close range. An appealing specimen of Alaska’s Ice Age natural history, the tusk combines a well-preserved overall form with particularly attractive surface character. Minor losses are present at the tip; otherwise, it remains sturdy and displays very well. Measures approximately 18 inches × 5.5 inches × 1.75 inches overall. Auction Estimate: $1,500–$2,000.

A large dome-topped baleen basket by Iñupiaq artist Carl E. Hank, distinguished by an unusually elongated walrus finial carved from walrus tusk. The rounded black body rises through gently curved shoulders to a closely fitted domed lid. Exceptionally neat, tightly controlled weaving gives the basket its refined finish: fine dark stitches cross the horizontal coils in a regular staggered pattern, creating subtle diagonal movement across the softly lustrous surface. The walrus rises upright from the center of the lid, its extended neck and two long, slender tusks giving the finial a wonderfully unexpected silhouette. Dark inset eyes, dotted brows and an engraved whiskered muzzle lend it an engaging expression, while deeply carved folds sweep around its neck and back. This unusual treatment makes the basket particularly charming, pairing the playful character of the animal with the precision of the weaving beneath it. Pierced walrus tusk starter discs anchor the lid and base, their cream-colored surfaces revealing mottled secondary dentine. The underside is faintly signed “Carl E. Hank.” Approximately 5" in diameter × 6.25" high overall. Light surface wear and a few fine projecting fiber ends are visible around the weaving. A thin dark line crosses the carved folds on one side of the tusk neck. Born in Point Barrow, Alaska, now Utqiaġvik, Carl Hank carries forward a multigenerational Iñupiaq basketmaking tradition. He is the great-grandson of master weavers Carl and Eunice Hank and the nephew of Harry Hank. His work continues the family's close association with baleen basketry, an art form requiring carefully prepared strips and patient, tightly controlled weaving. Auction Estimate: $1,000–$1,500.

A wonderfully irreverent pair of “Happy Bears,” carved from walrus tusk as two polar bears in a mating pose. The upright male clasps his smaller companion, his open mouth and its forward-reaching head giving the compact carving plenty of character. Fine incisions follow the fur, while dark details pick out the eyes, noses, mouths and individual claws. Cream-colored outer tusk and naturally mottled secondary dentine vary across the heads, backs and underside. The two animals appear to form a single joined carving, making clever use of the small section of tusk. Faint initials appear beneath one rear paw. Measures approximately 2.5 inches long × 1.5 inches wide × 1.75 inches high. Light surface wear and small scuffs, with rubbing to the dark facial decoration. Auction Estimate: $250–$400.

A finely twined miniature Attu-style grass basket by Aleut/Tlingit artist Sharon Kay, with a fitted domed lid and a tiny floral band. Blue flowers with yellow centers sit between two narrow black lines, their scale emphasizing just how closely the natural straw-colored grass has been worked. The compact cylindrical body rests on a circular base; a flattened knob tops the lid, whose shallow rim extends slightly over the basket. An accompanying certificate identifies Kay as Aleut/Tlingit, describes the piece as an “Attu Basket,” and supplies an Unga Tribe number and Silver Hand number. A 2013 Rasmuson Foundation Fellow, Kay has devoted years to weaving, teaching and documenting Attu-style baskets, including a self-published book on the subject. Her fellowship supported further study of traditional grass gathering and preparation and the sharing of that knowledge through teaching. The floral design and even rows of this little basket show the precision demanded by the technique. The basket retains its shape, with light wear to the grass and accompanying certificate. Measures approximately 1.25 inches in diameter × 1.75 inches high, including the lid. Auction Estimate: $300–$500.

A finely carved wooden spirit mask by Yup’ik and Aleut artist Jack Abraham (B. 1956), dated 1996 and presented in a glazed wooden shadow box. Its arresting asymmetry pairs a round eye and white teardrop with a narrow slit eye and scattered white dots. An off-center circular mouth and crescent opening at the crown give the warm brown face an expressive, unmistakably individual character. A slender bentwood arc follows one side of the face, carrying three feather-tipped projections secured with lashings. Set against cream fabric, these delicate elements extend the mask beyond the face itself. The reverse backing is inscribed “J. ABRAHAM 96.” Abraham began developing his mask making after encountering Edward William Nelson’s study of Bering Strait peoples in his late twenties. He adapted historical mask forms through his own imagery and combinations of materials, continuing a living artistic practice rather than simply reproducing older examples. His work is represented in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian and the Brooklyn Museum. Light wear to the frame and glazing, with scattered discoloration to the fabric lining. Measures approximately 8.75 × 3 × 10.75 inches overall, including the frame. Auction Estimate: $350–$550.

A signed original pastel depicting an Alaska forest landscape by Norman Lowell (1927–2024), with a narrow stream winding between mossy rocks and tall conifers toward a luminous woodland opening. Pale strokes catch the moving water, while dark branches frame a distant glow of gold and blue-gray. The vertical composition draws the eye through the shade and into the light. Signed “Norman Lowell” in ochre at lower left. The work is presented behind glazing in a dark wood frame with gilt ornament and a cream fabric liner. Lowell arrived in Alaska in 1958 and established a homestead near Anchor Point, making the surrounding landscape central to his artistic life. Working in several media, he returned repeatedly to the forests, mountains and coastal scenery of Alaska; the contrast of deep shadow and glowing light is particularly appealing in this intimate woodland subject. Minor rubbing to the frame and small marks or discoloration on the fabric liner. Approximate sight dimensions are 25 inches high × 20 inches wide; the frame measures approximately 31.5 × 25.5 inches. Auction Estimate: $800–$1,200.

A striking walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) rostrum mounted for wall display, retaining two long, slender tusks and eight smaller upper teeth. Rows of circular black baleen inlays follow the tusks’ gently curving fronts and outer surfaces, their regular spacing contrasting with the cream, tan and gray variations of the natural material. The rostrum is the forward portion of the skull, preserving the relationship between the tusks, upper jaw and smaller teeth. Here, the dot decoration turns that imposing natural form into a worked display piece. A small rectangular wooden plaque supports the rostrum, with a hanging cord at the back. The tusks show pronounced longitudinal checks, including a split following a row of inlay holes. Pale yellow adhesive or filler is visible around both sockets. The bone has exposed porous areas, pitting and irregular losses along its cut rear margins, with wear and discoloration throughout. The plaque measures approximately 5 × 7 inches; the rostrum mount approximately 6 × 5.5 × 20 inches overall. Each exposed tusk measures approximately 13.5 inches long. Auction Estimate: $800–$1,000.