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In Greenlandic Inuit tradition, some objects were believed to carry forces far beyond their physical form.

Known as tupilaqs, these strange figures were associated with spirits, magic, and vengeance. Traditionally, they were said to be created from materials such as animal parts, bone, skin, and sometimes other remains, then brought to life through ritual power to harm an enemy.

The surviving tupilaqs seen today are usually later carvings made from materials like wood, ivory, or bone, especially from the late 1800s onward. These were often created as preserved artistic objects, but they still reflect an older spiritual world filled with fear, power, and unseen forces.

Their twisted shapes, hollow eyes, and unsettling forms were not meant to look beautiful in a simple way.

splayed and spilling out

Akiko Sakagami

The skull of Maria Domin, c. 1823. The Charnel House a.k.a. ‘Bone House’ in St. Michael’s Chapel in Halstatt, Austria