Carvings of animals, as well as replicas of tools and western-style objects most often fashioned from ivory, became common trade goods. Commercial carving began when the Canadian federal government recognized its potential economic benefit to the Inuit and actively encouraged the development and promotion of Inuit sculpture. In 1949, in Montreal, the Canadian Handicraft Guild introduced Inuit carvings to the world. By the 1960s, co-operatives had been set up in most settlements and the Inuit art market began to flourish. Raw Materials A variety of raw materials are used when carving.
Some carvers also combine the different media of stone, whalebone, antler, ivory and muskox horn.
Preference for one medium over another often depends on the availability of the raw material to the carvers of the community. The term soapstone has been used to describe the raw material for carving in the Northwest Territories. Soapstone is made of talc steatite and is very soft. Serpentinite, the usual stone used, is a different class of mineral, much harder, does not scratch with your thumbnail and comes in a variety of colours. Other stone found in the Arctic and used in carvings are silstone, argillite, dolomite, quartz and marble.