Carved Walrus Ivory Pendant Alaskan Inuit Yup’ik Artist William Soonagrook Jr

Description

This dimensional bas-relief pendant was carved by native Alaskan artist William "Billy Boy" Soonagrook, Jr. from walrus tusk.
It portrays four faces of a Yup'ik family group, with a man/father on one wide side, a woman/mother on the opposite wide side, and two smaller faces - children, I assume - one on each of the narrow sides.
This unique piece is from Soonagrook's "faces" series, of which no two are alike. It was purchased in the late 1990s at the Alaska State Museum in Juneau, Alaska as shown on the attached tag, Catalog number 38.17.
I'm calling the condition "New" because it has never been worn or displayed since its purchase, but carefully stored in a private collection. It is unchanged from the day it was purchased.
The piece measures 3" long from top to bottom, including the carved eyelet through which a chain or thong is to be threaded; in width it ranges from 1-1/4" at the top to 1-1/2" at the bottom.
About the Artist
William Soonagrook Jr. is a master carver from Gambell, Alaska, a Yup'ik Eskimo village of about 900 people on St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Straits. His work, along with that of his father and brothers, is featured in the 1994 book "Eskimo Carvers of the Bering Sea: Walrus Ivory Carvings by Alaska's Finest", by Dale Kessler.
Shipping
Price includes free shipping to USA via insured USPS Priority mail, with tracking. I am reluctant to ship this piece overseas, but willing to discuss it on request.