The Concept of "Art" is a relatively new term among the Inuit Culture.  In fact, Inuit don't even have a word in their own language or equivalent for the term art.  That is not to say that Inuit did not practice some form of art in the past, it is just that to them it was not considered art (Lipton, 56).  They did artistic things for other reasons.  Long before, even thousands of years before, the current art movement, the Inuit showed many artistic abilities as they made tools, weapons, household implements, toys, religious amulets, charms and figurines.  These were all generally made of materials such as bone, ivory and driftwood (Lipton, 56).   Inuit decorated their ivory hunting tools and weapons with engraved pictures of many various scenes.  However, these decorations were not done to please the eye, it was done for more practical reasons.  The tools and weapons were decorated to please the spirits, tell stories of previous hunts and to show care and respect for the animals (Gustavison 1999, 63).  The toys were made of course for the children to play with, but also to teach  the children of special hunts or events as the picture on the toy depicted a story.  The religious amulets and charms both had significant spiritual reasons for being created.  The figurines were often created as either dolls for the children or to show respect of a lost one.

The Inuit also made masks from ivory and other materials that served a practical use.  The masks were believed to be used in special ceremonies and by shamans to contact the spirits (Hessel, 13).  To art collectors, theses pieces are magnificent pieces of art even though they were not originally created as art.  With examples of some prehistoric artifacts, it is very interesting that even current sculptures tend to mimic or mirror the ancient artifacts (Lipton, 57). 

Inuit have learned how to master an art form with out attending art schools.  It is believed that because they have an extreme acuteness for detail when they venture out on the land, that they bring this acuteness into their art (Lipton, 56).  They have a natural tendency to pay very close attention to detail.  However, as stated above, their sculptures still mirror pieces made thousands of years ago.  As long as the Inuit pursue to create images of their past traditional lifestyles and practice their cultural heritage, their art may maintain the same styles.