Walrus ivory

Walrus ivory

Walrus tusk ivory comes from two modified upper canines. The tusks of a Pacific walrus may attain a length of one meter. Walrus teeth are also commercially carved and traded. The average walrus tooth has a rounded, irregular peg shape and is approximately 5cm in length.

The tip of a walrus tusk has an enamel coating which is worn away during the animal's youth. Fine longitudinal cracks, which appear as radial cracks in cross-section, originate in the cementum and penetrate the dentine. These cracks can be seen throughout the length of the tusk. Whole cross-sections of walrus tusks are generally oval with widely spaced indentations. The dentine is composed of two types: primary dentine and secondary dentine (often called osteodentine). Primary dentine has a classical ivory appearance. Secondary dentine looks marble or oatmeal-like.

Walrus ivory carving and engraving has been an important folk art for people of the Arctic since prehistoric times. The Inuit (Inupiaq and Yupik) of Greenland and North America and the Chukchi and Koryak of Russia. The Chukchi and Bering Sea Yupik in particular continue to produce ivory. During Soviet times, several walrus carving collectives were established in villages in Chukotka, notably Uelen. International trade is, however, somewhat restricted by the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES).

Folk art of walrus ivory carving has been popular in European Russia since the Middle Ages. Notable schools of walrus ivory carving have been developed in Kholmogory and Tobolsk.

ee also

*Walrus
*Ivory


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Ivory — is formed from dentine and constitutes the bulk of the teeth and tusks of animals such as the elephant, hippopotamus, walrus, mammoth and narwhal.The word ivory was traditionally applied to the tusks of elephants; the word is ultimately from… …   Wikipedia

  • Walrus — For other uses, see Walrus (disambiguation). Walrus[1] …   Wikipedia

  • ivory — I (Roget s IV) modif. Syn. creamy, cream colored, tawny, fulvous; see tan , white 1 . n. Syn. animal tusk, whalebone, boar tooth, horn, hippo ivory, walrus ivory, hard ivory, soft ivory, live ivory, dead ivory; see also bone . Objects called… …   English dictionary for students

  • Ivory — • The tusks of the elephant, hippopotamus, walrus, and other animals: a tough and elastic substance, of a creamy white, taking a high and lasting polish, largely employed in the arts since pre historic times, and used extensively in making or… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Ivory (disambiguation) — Ivory is a hard, white, organic substance that is the bulk of the teeth and tusks of animals such as the elephant, hippopotamus, walrus, mammoth, and narwhal. Ivory may also refer to:Places* Côte d Ivoire (Ivory Coast), a country in West Africa * …   Wikipedia

  • Ivory — I vo*ry ([imac] v[ o]*r[y^]), n.; pl. {Ivories}. [OE. ivori, F. ivoire, fr. L. eboreus made of ivory, fr. ebur, eboris, ivory, cf. Skr. ibha elephant. Cf. {Eburnean}.] [1913 Webster] 1. The hard, white, opaque, fine grained substance constituting …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Ivory black — Ivory I vo*ry ([imac] v[ o]*r[y^]), n.; pl. {Ivories}. [OE. ivori, F. ivoire, fr. L. eboreus made of ivory, fr. ebur, eboris, ivory, cf. Skr. ibha elephant. Cf. {Eburnean}.] [1913 Webster] 1. The hard, white, opaque, fine grained substance… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Ivory gull — Ivory I vo*ry ([imac] v[ o]*r[y^]), n.; pl. {Ivories}. [OE. ivori, F. ivoire, fr. L. eboreus made of ivory, fr. ebur, eboris, ivory, cf. Skr. ibha elephant. Cf. {Eburnean}.] [1913 Webster] 1. The hard, white, opaque, fine grained substance… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Ivory nut — Ivory I vo*ry ([imac] v[ o]*r[y^]), n.; pl. {Ivories}. [OE. ivori, F. ivoire, fr. L. eboreus made of ivory, fr. ebur, eboris, ivory, cf. Skr. ibha elephant. Cf. {Eburnean}.] [1913 Webster] 1. The hard, white, opaque, fine grained substance… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Ivory palm — Ivory I vo*ry ([imac] v[ o]*r[y^]), n.; pl. {Ivories}. [OE. ivori, F. ivoire, fr. L. eboreus made of ivory, fr. ebur, eboris, ivory, cf. Skr. ibha elephant. Cf. {Eburnean}.] [1913 Webster] 1. The hard, white, opaque, fine grained substance… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”