This authentic, handmade Inupiat doll comes from Pt. Hope, Alaska.  It was made by the mother of “Leroy” with whom Dave Eubanks worked all one winter in sub-zero temperatures to build nurses’ quarters in Barrow and Kotzebue, Alaska.  Dave’s friendship, while teaching him a trade, helped keep Leroy out of trouble.  In gratitude, Leroy’s mother, an Inupiat Eskimo from Pt. Hope, made this beautiful and intricate doll.  It stands 12 inches tall and is made of mink (parka), spotted seal (mukluks), whale bone (face), baleen (spear and eyes) and tanned caribou hide & fur (mittens, mukluks and pants). There is fine detail in the line attached to the wooden spear, the binding for the spear point, the stitching and the ties on the mukluks.  The fur trim on the hood, cuffs and bottom of the parka has not been identified. Her dolls originally sold for $300 when this one was made in 1992.