Meribeth Orock (Born 1941) Inuit, Alaskan Aleutian Children's Mukluks and Toys. Mukluks are a specific form of shoe made with a soft sole to allow for great ease of movement on solid ground, soft-pack snow, and tundra, and come in multiple varieties utilizing beads, bones, and other native materials for ornamentation depending upon their tribe of origin. These are both roughly Kid's Size 11. One of the toys is a small carved and fur-covered figurine of two primate-like creatures, huddled together for warmth. The other is a piece of wall-hanging art depicting an Inuit family, with mountains and a red setting sun in the background on the blue fabric base with the same kind of fur ringed around it. This piece has a red reverse side with the artist's signature and origin written on it. 

Condition: Commensurate with age. Some damage to toys.

Largest Size: 7 1/2 x 10 in. 

Meribeth Orock was born on September 20th, 1941 in Pilot Point, Alaska. The daughter of Inuit Aleut parents who taught her traditional arts and crafts made from fur, skins, and bone, she was part of the second generation of the small village (previously called Ugashik) that experienced forced Westernization, first at the hands of Christian missionaries and then government officials when the territory became a state in 1959. Her experiences with this combined with a determination to maintain tribal traditions informed her artistic sensibilities, as she studied art forms from around the world for her bachelors at the University of Alaska Anchorage, graduating in 1963. She first began selling crafts to visitors to raise money for rebuilding after the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake. To this day she continues to sell her crafts from her hometown studio, along with shadowboxes and paintings that include oils, sand art, and other mixed medias, with some of her most sought after works being clothing, toys, and figures made for children.

Commensurate with age. Some damage to toys.

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