In 1948, artist James Houston visited Inukjuak to experience the Arctic. He was intrigued by a few small carvings he saw, and returned in 1949 to purchase items for the Canadian Guild of Crafts. These were exhibited in a sales exhibition at the Guild in Montreal in 1949. This event marked the beginning of a carving industry that rapidly spread to other Inuit communities. Most early carvings like Circle of Animals were unsigned. It is possible that this unique carving was inspired by illustrations in treasured magazines such as National Geographic and it represents the globe shown with animals from different countries.