Wonderful Old Inuit Scrimshawed Bone Box gold and black pattern and long arching tails

and long arching tails

with a couple of small dings to the surface of the wood

with an all-over pattern of hairline cracks in the surface of the lacquer as well some chips particularly around the edges

This carved wolf looks like quite a stalker

the more gravity I am finding in it--in this case including literally

Wonderful Old Inuit Scrimshawed Bone Box gold and black pattern and long arching tailsReally a wonderful, and curious little box, which I am quite confident is Inuit, and carved of bone I would guess Caribou bone antler as it feels very similar materially to a couple of Inuit dolls I've had, carved of Caribou bone and joined with thread made from sinew (ivalu), which is how the carved lock (which looks rather like a rudder) is secured and held tight via a knot on the opposite side of the box. I am not quite sure the original function