A large six-legged beast about three or more Qayaqs long that looked to have an otter’s body with scales that swam around Qaluyaarmiut and Beird Inlet. He had a long tail, legs of an otter, walrus flippers for his feet, 3 fish fins on his back above each set of flipper legs. He had gills like a fish, large ears that curled like rounded cones to hear under water and hear like a regular animal above water. When he walked, he closed his flippers into fists and walked on his knuckles. He had a long tongue for harpooning salmon and halibut and stiff long whiskers like an otter but bigger. He had no trouble hunting for food.
Mixed media: Seal whiskers on Palrayuk. Procupine quills, ptarmigan tail feathers, and beads on mask. Guinea hen feather and reindeer hair on the mask's forehead. Carved driftwood from Bethel, and sand from Mekoryuk as part of the background below his feet. The natural iron ore red and copper ore blue are both from Nelson Island mixed with acrylic as a binding agent.
Did you ever wonder why the rivers twist and turn so much? That’s because Palrayuk has been looking for his favorite meal underground in and around the lowlands, marshes, wetlands near the tundra. He hunted for Mastodon bones in twist and turns to get the best chance of finding them underground. Then surfaces above to chew on them like an otter. When he is done, he swam like an otter searching and skimming on the surface twisting and turning. His whiskers carved through with no trouble feeling for bones underground. The land was like water to him in his transformed state.
He also swam out to the Bering Sea when he was hunting for salmon, seal, and halibut. He was well accustomed to living off crab. His whiskers came in handy for large clams that were almost the size of small cars. Only during certain seasons, he hunted for large seal when other resources were not abundant. But only enough so hunters can have seal along the coast. He was no danger to man and never bothered man. Only the best great hunters can distinguish him from his surroundings on land or water. He blended into his environment very well in any setting. The hunters placed the insignia of Palrayuk on the side of their Qayaqs for good luck.