The Inuit have always made and decorated the objects they needed: tools, hunting and fishing equipment, clothing.
However, making objects simply to bring beauty into the world (or evoke emotions) is another occupation called art.
Inuit art as we know it today brings together traditional motifs (animals of the North, real and imaginary characters) or contemporary patterns in sculpted, painted, drawn or engraved works. The sculptures and engravings are often made of steatite, a soft, usually grey rock.