Reading Museum Town Hall

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Cribbage board

Walrus ivory - Before 1961

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Inuit walrus cribbage board

This cribbage board is made from a walrus tusk which has been carved into the shape of a walrus and decorated with images of hunting. It is an Inuit artefact from the city of Kotzebue, Alaska, and must have been made before 1961 when the Museum acquired it.

Carving in tusks, teeth or ivory is often referred to as 'scrimshaw', and it was a popular craft and hobby on whaling ships and in coastal areas. Cribbage is a card game in which players aim to accrue points which are recorded by placing pegs in runs of slots on a board such as this one.

Museum object number REDMG : 1961.182.4.3

length 247 mm, width 35 mm

See related topic: Ornamentation

See related topic: War and Hunting