Nanuq: Northern Bear

2020

Measurements

Carved moose skull

A popular motif of Balinese carved skulls is the Barong Ket, the spirit of goodness and life. The name is thought to be derived from the root of the Indonesian word beruang, which translates to “bear.”

Nanuq is a guardian spirit as well. As King of Bears, he enforces reverence and proper ceremony after a bear hunt. He decides if the hunters deserve to harvest a polar bear by overseeing and enforcing rituals. If a bear’s spirit was not honored properly after death, Nanuq would lead the other bears away from the hunters and their next hunt would be doomed to fail.

The proper spelling of a singular Polar Bear in Alaskan Inupiaq is Nanuq, according to the Alaska Native Language Center. Nanook and Nanuk are anglicized spellings.