Iqaluit (Apr 18/05) - Etched walrus tusks crafted by Kimmirut's Davidee Itulu in the 1960s were stolen from the museum in Iqaluit last week.

These walrus tusks by Davidee Itulu were stolen from the Iqaluit museum during the night of April 10.

It is the first big break-in theft to occur at the Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum since it opened in 1984.

"It is sad," said Brian Lunger, curator of the Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum, who called the tusks "irreplaceable."

"It's disturbing," he added.

Museum staff and the police encourage people to keep their eyes peeled for the striking tusks, which are covered on both sides with etchings of animals and Inuit in traditional dress using traditional hunting equipment.

Posters featuring pictures of the tusks are now plastered on bulletin boards in Iqaluit. The museum is offering a reward for the tusks' safe return.

Sometime overnight on April 10, the phone lines to the museum were cut and the alarm was disabled, allowing the culprit or culprits to enter the museum through the back.

According to police, a similar break and enter tactic was used to gain access to the KFC Quick Stop in Iqaluit at about the same time on Saturday night.

In the case of the Quick Stop robbery, the culprit or culprits went a step further by stealing the security camera's surveillance tape, police said.

The police are continuing their investigations into the break-ins and request the public's help.

The tusks have been in the museum's permanent collection since the museum opened in 1984.