‘The caribou had heard the man singing and ran towards the hunter. The song was a charm to make animals approach. They were drawn to the lure song. There was no space to go sideways. They were drawn to the cliff edge. The man had a bow and started shooting.’ Told by Asatchaq Jimmie Killigivuk, Point Hope.

‘Iqiasuaq saw caribou ahead of him. He followed, and they stopped to graze. Iqiasuaq approached them, but away they ran. He followed again, drew nearer and again they fled. Now when they stopped, a caribou approached him saying, “Why do you follow? You have weapons, but you’re not hunting!”’ Told by Asatchaq Jimmie Killigivuk, Point Hope.

Caribou (Rangifer tarandus; Iñupiaq tuttu; Fig. 1) are perhaps the most frequently depicted motif in the engravings. Engravings show both young and adult animals (Fig. 2), often in groups, possibly representing herds. While side views are most common, sometimes caribou are depicted from other perspectives (Fig. 3), or standing closely together in groups (Fig. 4).

Most caribou are shown in hunting scenes. In the nineteenth century, the Iñupiat hunted caribou in many ways. During spring and autumn migrations, communal drives were common, often involving stone cairns or sod and rock fences to channel the animals into a lake or corral, where they were speared or shot with bows and arrows (Fig. 3). During other parts of the year, smaller groups of caribou were stalked by hunters with bows and arrows (Fig. 5).