Tooyuk Baleen Basket with Swan

Hand-woven and intricately carved by Inupiaq artist Adam Tooyuk, this Baleen Basket is adorned with a unique Swan finial, made of ivory. Expertly crafted in Point Hope, Alaska, this basket is a work of art that honors the traditional techniques and skills of the Inupiaq people.

Baleen baskets are a highly-prized and skillful art form of Northern Alaskan Inupiat Eskimos. Baleen is a flexible material from the inside of the bowhead whale, who uses a filter system (bowhead whales don't have teeth) to help process plankton and small fish. Baleen baskets are woven with thin strips of baleen in a method called coiling that sews baleen bands together, ending with a beautifully carved ivory finial as the basket lid handle