Modern lnuit Commercial Arts
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar peoples who live in some areas of the Arctic. Before the nineteenth century, European explorers and other early nonnative visitors in the Arctic collected souvenirs of their travels to Inuit communities. But the commercial market for Inuit art likely began in the latter half of the nineteenth century with the large collecting expeditions mounted by, and on behalf of, museums in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Inuit were encouraged to sell the sacred and everyday objects which they supposedly no longer needed in modern industrial societies and which ethnologists and museum curators assumed would disappear. In Alaska, the arrival of large numbers of people looking for gold(1899-1909)produced a steady market for Inuit arts in North Alaska. Both on their own and with the encouragement of Christian missionaries and government administrators, Inuit in many different regions produced replicas and miniatures of traditional items to sell to the growing number of nonnative visitors. Contemporary Inuit commercial arts developed out of these early marketing activities.
The art forms most often associated with Inuit, such as tupilak figurines, baleen baskets, and caribou-skin masks, are all recent forms produced for sale rather than for domestic use. For the most part, they originated as tourist arts. It is a mistake, however, to discount their authenticity on that basis. Nor is it correct to assume that the quality is poor. Artists of all cultures and ethnic groups make their art for the market, and Inuit artists are no exception. Today, art is just one component of the mixed economies of Inuit communities. Through the materials employed and the motifs and symbols presented, Inuit art is very much representative of contemporary Inuit culture.
Tupilak figurines are small, grotesquely shaped sculptures carved of animal tooth or bone by Greenlanders. Meant to represent agents of malicious magic or supernatural power, tupilaks were first produced as commercial art in the 1930s. According to Greenlandic anthropologist Robert Petersen, the sculptures that are sold as tupilaks did not exist prior to that time. Rather, tupilaks existed in the imagination and were brought into being through stories. Physical models of tupilaks were carved for the benefit of Danes and other Europeans who could not otherwise understand what these evil beings looked like. European purchasers proved to be most interested in the most grotesque and bizarre images, and thus tupilak figures became more monstrous and alarming in response to the market.
Baskets of baleen, the plastic-like substance with which bowhead whales filter plankton(small organisms)from seawater, are an art form of the Inupiat (one of the Inuit peoples)dating from around 1915. The first baleen baskets were produced in Barrow, Alaska, at the instigation of American whaler-turned-trader Charles Brower. These small, lidded baskets are woven of coiled baleen and topped with a carved ivory piece, usually in the shape of an animal such as a seal. Disks of ivory are used as starter pieces for attaching the first coils of the base and lid. Brower is reported to have asked an Inupiat named Kinguktuk to make baskets similar to willow-root baskets from baleen that Brower might give as gifts. This art form did not attract other weavers until the 1930s when the fur market, which had replaced commercial whaling as an income generator for the Inupiat, collapsed. Basket making then provided an alternate source of income.
The caribou-skin masks from the village of Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska, originated in an entirely different way. Under the influence of Christian missionaries, Inupiat stopped making masks for religious purposes prior to 1900, but it is also the case that the Inupiat residents of Anaktuvuk Pass did not use masks historically. Caribou- skin masks are a modern creation unrelated to any traditional Inuit religious practices, but they were initially created by a pair of Inupiat hunters for local use.Two Inupiat hunters made the first caribou-skin masks in 1951 as part of costumes they wore to the community Christmas celebration. As part of the holiday festivities, performers disguised themselves and clowned to amuse fellow residents. Several years later, a market for caribou- skin masks developed, and other residents of Anaktuvuk Pass began to experiment with mask-making techniques.
1
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar peoples who live in some areas of the Arctic. Before the nineteenth century, European explorers and other early nonnative visitors in the Arctic collected souvenirs of their travels to Inuit communities. But the commercial market for Inuit art likely began in the latter half of the nineteenth century with the large collecting expeditions mounted by, and on behalf of, museums in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Inuit were encouraged to sell the sacred and everyday objects which they supposedly no longer needed in modern industrial societies and which ethnologists and museum curators assumed would disappear. In Alaska, the arrival of large numbers of people looking for gold(1899-1909)produced a steady market for Inuit arts in North Alaska. Both on their own and with the encouragement of Christian missionaries and government administrators, Inuit in many different regions produced replicas and miniatures of traditional items to sell to the growing number of nonnative visitors. Contemporary Inuit commercial arts developed out of these early marketing activities.
According to paragraph 1， all of the following are true of the market for Inuit art EXCEPT:
AA steady market existed for Inuit art objects made of gold.
BThe market for art was created following the arrival of an increasing number of nonnative visitors.
CGovernment officials helped to develop the market for Inuit art.
DThe early art market led to the production of art that was intended to be sold.
2
The art forms most often associated with Inuit, such as tupilak figurines, baleen baskets, and caribou-skin masks, are all recent forms produced for sale rather than for domestic use. For the most part, they originated as tourist arts. It is a mistake, however, to discount their authenticity on that basis. Nor is it correct to assume that the quality is poor. Artists of all cultures and ethnic groups make their art for the market, and Inuit artists are no exception. Today, art is just one component of the mixed economies of Inuit communities. Through the materials employed and the motifs and symbols presented, Inuit art is very much representative of contemporary Inuit culture.
The word”originated”in the passage is closest in meaning to
Afunctioned
Bbecame popular
Cbegan
Dwere sold
3
The art forms most often associated with Inuit, such as tupilak figurines, baleen baskets, and caribou-skin masks, are all recent forms produced for sale rather than for domestic use. For the most part, they originated as tourist arts. It is a mistake, however, to discount their authenticity on that basis. Nor is it correct to assume that the quality is poor. Artists of all cultures and ethnic groups make their art for the market, and Inuit artists are no exception. Today, art is just one component of the mixed economies of Inuit communities. Through the materials employed and the motifs and symbols presented, Inuit art is very much representative of contemporary Inuit culture.
Why does the author discuss “the materials employed and the motifs and symbols presented”in Inuit art?
ATo explain why contemporary Inuit culture has produced a very large amount of art
BTo support the argument that Inuit art forms that were never used domestically are still examples of Inuit culture
CTo suggest the importance of tupilak figurines to local Inuit economies.
DTo argue that contemporary Inuit art is of a higher quality than the art of other ethnic groups in the region.
4
The art forms most often associated with Inuit, such as tupilak figurines, baleen baskets, and caribou-skin masks, are all recent forms produced for sale rather than for domestic use. For the most part, they originated as tourist arts. It is a mistake, however, to discount their authenticity on that basis. Nor is it correct to assume that the quality is poor. Artists of all cultures and ethnic groups make their art for the market, and Inuit artists are no exception. Today, art is just one component of the mixed economies of Inuit communities. Through the materials employed and the motifs and symbols presented, Inuit art is very much representative of contemporary Inuit culture.
What can be inferred from paragraph 2 about Inuit art produced to be sold?
AIt is slowly beginning to be used domestically.
BIt is fairly unusual as many ethnic groups do not allow the sale of their art.
CIt is likely to be regarded by some people as being of low quality.
DIt consists of art forms that have been produced for centuries.
5
Tupilak figurines are small, grotesquely shaped sculptures carved of animal tooth or bone by Greenlanders. Meant to represent agents of malicious magic or supernatural power, tupilaks were first produced as commercial art in the 1930s. According to Greenlandic anthropologist Robert Petersen, the sculptures that are sold as tupilaks did not exist prior to that time. Rather, tupilaks existed in the imagination and were brought into being through stories. Physical models of tupilaks were carved for the benefit of Danes and other Europeans who could not otherwise understand what these evil beings looked like. European purchasers proved to be most interested in the most grotesque and bizarre images, and thus tupilak figures became more monstrous and alarming in response to the market.
According to paragraph 3,why did tupilak figurines become more grotesquely shaped over time?
ASuch figurines sold better than less-grotesquely- shaped tupilak figurines.
BSuch figurines helped Europeans better understand how evil tupilaks were.
CSuch figurines matched the change in Greenlandic stories beginning in the 1930s.
DSuch figurines became easier to make as Inuit artists’ carving abilities improved.
6
Baskets of baleen, the plastic-like substance with which bowhead whales filter plankton(small organisms)from seawater, are an art form of the Inupiat (one of the Inuit peoples)dating from around 1915. The first baleen baskets were produced in Barrow, Alaska, at the instigation of American whaler-turned-trader Charles Brower. These small, lidded baskets are woven of coiled baleen and topped with a carved ivory piece, usually in the shape of an animal such as a seal. Disks of ivory are used as starter pieces for attaching the first coils of the base and lid. Brower is reported to have asked an Inupiat named Kinguktuk to make baskets similar to willow-root baskets from baleen that Brower might give as gifts. This art form did not attract other weavers until the 1930s when the fur market, which had replaced commercial whaling as an income generator for the Inupiat, collapsed. Basket making then provided an alternate source of income.
According to paragraph 4， which of the following is true of baleen baskets?
AThey often include carvings in the shapes of animals.
BThey are sometimes used to collect sea organisms.
CThey replaced the willow-root baskets formerly used by whalers.
DThey were first made by an American trader.
7
Baskets of baleen, the plastic-like substance with which bowhead whales filter plankton(small organisms)from seawater, are an art form of the Inupiat (one of the Inuit peoples)dating from around 1915. The first baleen baskets were produced in Barrow, Alaska, at the instigation of American whaler-turned-trader Charles Brower. These small, lidded baskets are woven of coiled baleen and topped with a carved ivory piece, usually in the shape of an animal such as a seal. Disks of ivory are used as starter pieces for attaching the first coils of the base and lid. Brower is reported to have asked an Inupiat named Kinguktuk to make baskets similar to willow-root baskets from baleen that Brower might give as gifts. This art form did not attract other weavers until the 1930s when the fur market, which had replaced commercial whaling as an income generator for the Inupiat, collapsed. Basket making then provided an alternate source of income.
According to paragraph 4, making baskets of baleen did not become an alternate form of income for Inuit weavers until the 1930s because
Aa decline in commercial whaling shortly after the first baskets were made kept the supply of baleen low
Bthe early market for baskets of baleen was only large enough to keep one Inupiat weaver busy
Cother commercial activities were still earning the Inupiat sufficient income before the 1930s
Dthe supply of willow root for making traditional Inupiat baskets did not collapse until the 1930s
8
The caribou-skin masks from the village of Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska, originated in an entirely different way. Under the influence of Christian missionaries, Inupiat stopped making masks for religious purposes prior to 1900, but it is also the case that the Inupiat residents of Anaktuvuk Pass did not use masks historically. Caribou- skin masks are a modern creation unrelated to any traditional Inuit religious practices, but they were initially created by a pair of Inupiat hunters for local use.Two Inupiat hunters made the first caribou-skin masks in 1951 as part of costumes they wore to the community Christmas celebration. As part of the holiday festivities, performers disguised themselves and clowned to amuse fellow residents. Several years later, a market for caribou- skin masks developed, and other residents of Anaktuvuk Pass began to experiment with mask-making techniques.
According to paragraph 5,all of the following are true about caribou-skin masks EXCEPT:
AThey were created by two Inupiat hunters.
BThey evolved from earlier masks used in traditional Inuit religions.
CThey were designed to entertain people during a celebration.
DThey inspired people to develop new methods of making masks.
9
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar peoples who live in some areas of the Arctic. ■ Before the nineteenth century, European explorers and other early nonnative visitors in the Arctic collected souvenirs of their travels to Inuit communities. ■ But the commercial market for Inuit art likely began in the latter half of the nineteenth century with the large collecting expeditions mounted by, and on behalf of, museums in the United States, Canada, and Europe. ■ Inuit were encouraged to sell the sacred and everyday objects which they supposedly no longer needed in modern industrial societies and which ethnologists and museum curators assumed would disappear. ■ In Alaska, the arrival of large numbers of people looking for gold(1899-1909)produced a steady market for Inuit arts in North Alaska. Both on their own and with the encouragement of Christian missionaries and government administrators, Inuit in many different regions produced replicas and miniatures of traditional items to sell to the growing number of nonnative visitors. Contemporary Inuit commercial arts developed out of these early marketing activities.
Look at the four squaresthat indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage
Typically, visitors offered tea or weapons in exchange for a few Inuit carvings of animals or hunting scenes.
Where would the sentence best fit？Click on a square sentence to the passage.
10
Commercial Inuit arts developed out of marketing activities that began in the second half of the nineteenth century.
AThe first forms of art that Inuit people made specifically for sale to nonnative visitors were replicas and miniatures of traditional items.
BInuit art objects created specifically for sale to foreigners included figurines based on Inuit stories from Greenland and baskets made from whale parts by Inuit people in Alaska.
CIn Alaska, Christian missionaries discouraged the Inuit from selling traditional religious masks, while government administrators encouraged them to sell both sacred and everyday objects.
DInuit objects sold in the nineteenth century were mainly poor-quality tourist souvenirs, but in the twentieth century Inuit art became less strictly commercial and improved in quality.
EThe Inuit people of Greenland created stories about evil beings with harmful magical powers in order to better sell figurines representing such beings to Europeans.
FSome Inuit art objects, such as the caribou-skin masks made by the Inupiat of Alaska, are relatively recent inventions despite sometimes resembling traditional practical or religious objects.
