Only a few small groups of Dorset Eskimo were left in northern Labrador by 1,000 years ago. The last of their culture, they produced some of the most exquisite carvings in soapstone ever found in arctic Canada. This soapstone polar bear found on Shuldham Island, Saglek Bay, is just six centimetres high.
The cause of the demise of the Dorset people remains a mystery, although environmental changes may have contributed to their extinction. Carvings like this one may be an indication of difficulties which had to be dealt with through an increase in magical and religious practices.
