Wonderful Old Inuit Scrimshawed Bone Box gold and black pattern the more gravity I am

the more gravity I am finding in it--in this case including literally

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

The board is old and shows cracking to the surface of the wood

with a couple of small dings to the surface of the wood

13 1/8" l x 2" t x 1 1/2"

Wonderful Old Inuit Scrimshawed Bone Box gold and black pattern the more gravity I amReally 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