Some communities are best known for their ivory miniatures which were encouraged by local missionaries. Animals or genre scenes, with an unpretentious folk art flavour, are the most common subjects. From the central Arctic, Keewatin steatite stone is grey to black in colour and very hard. The large, heavy and dynamic carvings of hunters and animals have little surface detail but hold considerable emotional power. The muskox is a favourite subject.
Female carvers produce depictions of mothers and children.
Scenes of animal-human transformations are also common. Also seen are small composite depictions of traditional camp life fashioned from various types of stone and incorporate wood, copper, whalebone and antler. Often featuring igloos with detachable tops, they are descriptive and somewhat static in nature. Recently, muskox horn has become a popular carving material. Its sweeping curves are readily transformed into elegant long-necked geese.