Description
Arm Wrestling by Tukai Qumaluk from Puvurnituk is an impressive older piece from 1988. Arm wrestling or arm pull is a traditional Arctic winter game. Pushing and pulling games focus on developing strength in different parts of the body in preparation for hunting. Hunters require great upper body strength for spearing polar bears, pulling heavy animals (seals, walruses and whales) out of the water and even wrestling caribou or wolves. Many games require a competitor and are useful not only in building strength, but in identifying the strongest hunters and in creating community bonds.
This carving shows the concentration of the participants, their intensity, and determination. Overall the carving radiates the same strength the wrestlers bring to the game. A nice collectors item depicting a not so ordinary moment in the day of life of the Inuit.
