Needle case decorated with a large human figure

According to Fitzhugh and Kaplan (in *Inua: Spirit World of the Bering Sea Eskimo*, 1982: 156), ivory carvings were used to symbolize the presence of certain important members of the village or clan when they had to leave the village temporarily (particularly for hunting or fishing expeditions). These figures also served as fertility charms and could be used during ancestor worship. Finally, they were intended to attract the attention of the inua (spirit) of the animals to ensure the success of hunting and fishing expeditions.
Sewing kits are an essential item for hunters in the Arctic regions. In such a hostile environment, sewing kits are indispensable survival tools for local populations.
These kits typically included copper needles, ivory, or bone, tendon thread, an awl, a thimble, leather for storing the needles, a bone or ivory needle case, and a bone button for attaching the case to a garment. Every traveler, man or woman, carried one, because even the smallest tear in a kayak’s skin hull required immediate repair. The hunter then had to sew and repair it on the spot without delay.

Designed to maintain clothing suited to extreme conditions, the needle and its case were, according to Amber Lincoln, curator at the Sainsbury Centre (Norwich, United Kingdom), “without a doubt the most important technology in the Arctic, period.” ” This importance was reflected in the care taken in their manufacture, with finely carved cases designed to protect the delicate bone needles.

As Steven Hooper notes in *The Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Collection, Vol. 2: Pacific, African, and Native North American Art* (Yale University Press, 1997, p. 248), needle cases depicting a human figure are extremely rare.