Featured Inuit? or Other Northern Peoples' Hair Ornament

Antler is bone.

 

All fakes. Thanks for taking the time to do this. The motifs of the objects you found, though, are of a different character. Now it could be very possible that the tourist shops in Canada and Alaska, etc would be interested in importing traditional Northern designs made more cheaply than local people, who also make things to sell to tourists, but I'm lost to figure the market for hair ornaments that Indonesians would focus on this opportunity. Now if we were talking bears, eagles, natives in feather headdresses, etc., I could see that. I will research this lead though and appreciate you taking the time to track it down.

 

I should have been more clear. The operative word was "bovine" bone.

 

Mine isn't particularly fine; it's long though, and generally pinned up. It's easy to jab a hairpin into a bun.

 

Komo. I am amazed you fund this so quickly!!!!! I have been searching for hours and haven't found anything close. I have tried all kind of search terms both broad and narrow. You are amazing! Kiko

 

Aww shucks......I learned from @i need help .......heehehe!!!!

 

Agree, those are all traditional Indonesian motifs, butterfly, stylized floral, and peacock. Your little dancer is not.
However, the leaf motif underneath the little dancer on both yours and the one in the collection komo posted is similar to the motif underneath the butterfly on one of the hairpins Steve (all_fakes) posted. They all look rather Balinese.

Your happy dancer pin:


The Indonesian butterfly pin:


And for comparison, the base of one of my Balinese statues:


The concept of tribal/native cultural rights is alien to the Balinese. It is known in Western countries, and to tribal/native peoples in those countries. This is mostly because those cultures have already lost so much due to destructive measures by the dominant culture in their native country.
But it is rarely an issue in other countries.
The Balinese have a more communal and inclusive culture. Carvers have always copied popular motifs by wellknown Balinese artists. So when Western traders ask them to copy something from another country, they have no issue with that.
Unfortunately it happens on a large scale, and the unscrupulous traders who commission the items are at fault, not Balinese carvers who are trying to make a living. They have no idea their products can harm tribal identity and arts elsewhere in the world, and the collectors who are trying to find and preserve genuine tribal art.

 

However, the leaf motif underneath the little dancer on both yours and the one in the collection komo posted is similar to the motif underneath the butterfly on one of the hairpins Steve (all_fakes) posted. They all look rather Balinese.

& that's one of the keys to distinguish an off shore copy from the real thing..
The Bali carvers can copy anything...but tend to leave tell tale signs on work that is not cultural to their origins.

 

Apology in advance for rambling post.
As Komo and AJ mention there are signs to look for, pointing to origin. I can also add some details based on experience. I became interested in a rash of small bone carvings appearing on ebay starting around 2004.
I was alerted to possible sources by a person at an Allard auction, where there was a Riker frame of 30 or so small carvings, with a bone plaque-label "Eskimo carvings."
Noting my interest she asked if I realized they were fakes - and that I should check out the online catalogs of bead-dealers.
Indeed, I soon found online a number of bead importers whose catalogs were very specific, including countries of origin. These small carvings were from Indonesia, imported as pendants for use in the beading hobby; representing turtles, fish, Eskimo and other native themes.
$1 each, in bulk. Also a number of hairpins, single and double-shaft, with similar themes. I've self-published a small booklet on these items; not cost-effective, due to the cost of adding color photos....but I've sold a few.
I bought some of the items, and experimented with putting some of the white ones in tea. Interesting, and very recognizable results.
I also bought some similar bone fish, new/old stock, from a bead-store that went out of business in the late 1960s....these carvings have been around since then, because hippies would use beads from any culture, and happily added African, Eskimo, Native, Maori...you name it...to their necklaces. And starting that long ago, there were people making copies of African and Eskimo themed items, in Indonesia. I don't mean to offend any Indonesians; it is just that that was verifiable as the origin of these items.
The online catalogs are harder to find now; but their items are quite easy to recognize, once you've seen several hundred.
There is also an interesting story about how the US fish and Game folks raided an Indonesian exporter, in 2005, finding both carvings made illegally from marine ivory, and thousands of these small bone carvings - which they auctioned off, since they were otherwise legal.
I've got a bunch of photos of some of these, somewhere...
But there is no question that OPs item is one of these.
I'll also add that in Komo's link there is a mention "frame not included" in the auction showing the hairpins; relevant because for many years, as now, one would find these small imported carvings grouped in Riker frames; such a common event that I'd suggest that any small bone carvings found in a Riker frame are almost certain to be fakes.
You can also look closely at the incised lines; made with a motorized tool, like Dremel Moto-tool; you'll find semi-circular cross-sections to the lines; and this is relevant if the item is being sold as "Eskimo, circa 1890" as one will find sometimes.....Eskimos did not use Moto-tools in 1890.

Here's a link with some info (for information only, not an offer to sell anything); most of the info applies to hairpins as well as to the carved pendants: http://bluemando.homestead.com/fakes.html

 

A little late to the party but nothing about this piece seems Inuit (at least Canadian or even Alaskan) to me. I'm siding with those who think it factory produced in Asia.

 

AJ Thanks as always for your excellent analysis and thorough consideration. This will go back into the re-donate pile but will leave an increased level of knowledge and awareness in my selection process. Thank you again.

 

You were careful to say that you just found the happy dancer pin amongst these supposed artifacts but could not vouch for their validity. I really appreciate your efforts to help me search for the source. Kiko

 

Wow Steve. Thank you so much for sharing your intimate knowledge of these types of materials. This little thing didn't cost me much at the resale shop, so I didn't lose much on this adventure but gained so much knowledge for the future. I often spend a long time there examining things closely, and will look for motorized lines in the future. I so appreciate you taking the time to also describe other ways such items are available and what to look for. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Kiko.

 

Mark. Your thoughts are most appreciated. I thank you for taking the time to look and comment. Kiko

 

I've got a bunch of photos of some of these, somewhere...

Like this ?? Heehe!!
Only...the standing man.....not in hand !!....does look like whale bone.....so ya gotta know what yer lookin at..!!

 

Pretty much. I don't see the fish-hook shapes in your pic, which are actually fakes based on Maori designs, or any ankhs....but yes, like those. Now put them in a Riker frame, and Bob's your uncle.

 

there's all kinds of designs.........

 

Is it fake or real ....






Instructions here........ https://www.penguin.co.nz/books/bone-carving-9780143009979

 

it's real.......at least........it's a real bone carving !