Wonderful Old Inuit Scrimshawed Bone Box gold and black pattern and long arching tails

and long arching tails

with an all-over pattern of hairline cracks in the surface of the lacquer as well some chips particularly around the edges

of which this one is emblematic

This carved wolf looks like quite a stalker

and documented in detailed photo

Wonderful Old Inuit Scrimshawed Bone Box gold and black pattern and long arching tailsReally a wonderful, and curious little box, which I am quite confident is Inuit, and carved of bone I would guess Caribou bone antler as it feels very similar materially to a couple of Inuit dolls I've had, carved of Caribou bone and joined with thread made from sinew (ivalu), which is how the carved lock (which looks rather like a rudder) is secured and held tight via a knot on the opposite side of the box. I am not quite sure the original function