Handmade Inuit sculpture titled “Dancing Bear” in serpentinite by Etidloie Adla of Cape Dorset, Nunavut.
The dancing polar bear is one of the most iconic and beloved motifs in contemporary Inuit art, particularly in stone carvings from regions like Baffin Island. It generally symbolizes rebirth and transformation, reflecting traditional Inuit beliefs that the soul can return to the world in the form of a powerful animal — and becoming a polar bear, the “king” of Arctic creatures, represents the highest honor. The joyful, upright dancing pose often evokes the spirit’s celebratory transition between the human and animal realms, shamanic metamorphosis, or the harmony between earthly and spiritual worlds, blending strength, freedom, and cyclical renewal.
