Sculpture-White; Fiber, Musk Ox, Variety

Alaskan handmade fiber sculpture replica of the Arctic Musk-ox of qiveut (ki-vee-ute), wool, and musk-ox guard hair by Alaskan artist Colleen White of Palmer, Alaska.

You are holding in your hand a fiber sculpture replica of the Arctic Musk-ox.  This woolly member of the goat family stands 4 to 5 feet tall, measures 7 to 8 feet long and weighs as much as 900 lbs. Although they appear clumsy with their short stocky legs, they are quite agile. A pair of their horns can measure up to 20 inches across. Once roaming in large numbers throughout the Artic regions of the world, Musk-ox were brought near to extinction. Today, Musk-ox live in small numbers in the remote areas of Alaska, Canada, and Greenland feeding on grass, willows, lichens and other small plants.

Each spring qiveut (ki-vee-ute) is harvested when Musk-ox shed their soft, warm under-down. This rare wool is eight times warmer than sheep wool and is the softest, most exquisite fiber on earth.