#54 • Whale Vertebra Spirit Wheel - Bobby R. Nashookpuk

Part of July 2026 Discovery Auction (timed auction by Alaska Premier Auctions & Appraisals)

High bid $170.00

Status: Sold

Category: Ethnographic Objects

A spirit wheel featuring a central whale vertebra signed en verso by Iñupiat carver Bobby R. Nashookpuk (b.1958) from Point Hope, Alaska circa 1994. Eleven tufts of fur alternating in color from white to black adorn the outer ring, and the vertebra has been affixed with an animal sinew rope, ready to hang. The wheel measures approximately 9.5" in diameter x 4.75" in depth.