Artic
Artic & Subarctic / Inuit

Wood, parachute fabric
1994
Diameter 18.25 in
Membranophone – Struck Membranophone 

Signed on wooden rim inside (difficult to read) possible letters: BeAir Exdrsk ‘Walrus’ 1994: 

An Inuit Kelyaut or Qilaut/Kilaut (frame drum) of the Arctic.  This frame drum is the staple in all traditional Inuit music, including dance music, accompanying singing, and storytelling.  It can be played individually or there can be a group of drummers.  This one is made from the material of a parachute that is stretched over the bentwood (possibly Willow wood) frame and a wooden stick serves as the handle.  Raw materials used in the manufacture of parachute synthetics  are canvas, silk, dacron, kevlar, and nylon.  A beater is used to strike only the rim of the single-headed frame drum.  A walrus is skillfully painted in black on the top of the drumhead.

Traditionally, the Inuit did not have a specific word for what English-speaking people call ‘music.’ The closest word in Inuktitut is ‘nipi’ — which includes music, the sounds of speech, wild animals, the forces of nature and noise.’

Reference:  https://travelnunavut.ca/things-to-see-do/music-performance-art/