This coin features two beluga whales swim alongside a bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus). Above is the country of issue "CANADA," and underneath lie the face value "25 CENTS," and the year "2013." The Bowhead whale on this coin has been transformed into a canvas displaying multiple facets of Inuit culture and history. A large Dorset Culture ivory mask on the dorsal part of the bowhead whale and smaller depictions on its lower jaw represent the Tuniit (paleo-Eskimos) which migrated from Siberia across the Bering Straight into North America. An amauti design on the tail represents hooded clothing worn by Inuit women, while an igloo pattern adorns its mid-section and the Thule ivory comb on its head symbolizes Inuit expansion across Canada. This scene is encircled by the silhouette of a breaching whale being pursued by a traditional whaling boat and kayaks along the coin’s rim.
