Unicorns and narwhals meet at Manhattan’s Cloisters

NEW YORK CITY — Unicorns are the go-to symbol of the beautiful, the magical, the mystical and the probably impossible. No one in the modern world has ever seen one. And yet there are mentions of them in ancient and classical literature and they appear in classical art — perhaps most notably in the tapestries that are now part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, on display at The Cloisters in upper Manhattan. 

Equally weird and wonderful are the sea creatures known as narwhals. Like unicorns, there aren’t a lot of people who’ve seen them; and like unicorns, they have a very large tusk that grows from their foreheads. 

It’s probably safe to say that, in the days of the unicorn, there were more artists than there were highly trained scientists with sophisticated machinery that could be used to study them. 

So the world is left with only cryptic art images of unicorns. The same isn’t true of narwhals, however, and that’s thanks largely to a dentist from Sharon, Dr. Martin Nweeia, who has now made 17 expeditions to the Arctic in the past two decades to study these unusual creatures. His work has been highly acclaimed and is, until 2019, at the center of an exhibition in Washington, D.C., at the Smithsonian.

Almost anyone who learns about narwhals makes the mental connection with unicorns. And so it wasn’t an enormous  surprise when Nweeia was invited to speak at The Cloisters as part of a two-hour presentation on the mythical horned horse and the very real horned mammal. 

It was standing room only in the chapel at The Cloisters on a blustery Saturday afternoon, Nov. 10, as Nweeia and two other experts prepared to talk about unicorns and narwhals. 

Introductions were made by Nweeia’s wife, a force of nature named Pamela Peeters who had organized the event as a kick-off to a week of sustainability-themed events in New York City (which she had also organized). 

Peeters is Belgian and an environmental economist. The narwhal exhibition at the Smithsonian — and some of Nweeia’s remarks at The Cloisters — include an examination of how the living conditions of the narwhals are changing as the climate changes; and how the lives of the native Inuit, who hunt the narwhals for sustenance, are also being changed. 

First to speak was Barbara Boehm, senior curator at The Cloisters. She shared images from art and manuscripts that talked about unicorns and their uses. 

The horn was believed to have magical powers, and it was thought to be able to purify water. Much of the ancient art shows hunters capturing the magical beasts and cutting off their horns. 

If they did exist in real life, Boehm said, they were possibly on the African continent. 

But it wasn’t Boehm’s job to talk about reality. That was a job for Nweeia, an experienced teacher and lecturer as well as a dentist. He has taught at Harvard and has talked about his narwhal research to academic groups, scientists and dentists. 

Why the dental community? Because, he explained, the narwhal tusk is actually “the world’s coolest tooth.”

He shared data and charts about the study of the tusk, where it came from and what the narwhals use it for. The theory  now is that the tusk (which can grow to about 8 feet long, nearly half the size of the average male narwhal) is exquisitely sensitive and functions to some degree like the whiskers of a cat. The tusk is also apparently hyper sensitive to the changes in water from fresh to salty; the narwhal can use this information to help chart its path through the Arctic ice floes.

As interesting as the data was, it was nothing compared to the beauty of a short film that Nweeia showed of the narwhals swimming in packs through the Arctic ice. 

Also bringing the data to life were interviews that Nweeia and his team have done with the Inuit, who not only work with the researchers but who also share their art and mythology about the narwhals and who reveal the ways the animals are central to their community. 

Last to speak that afternoon was Bill Fitzhugh, the director of Arctic Studies at The Smithsonian. 

He talked about the climate changes that are occurring in the Arctic, and how the migration paths of the narwhal reflect those changes. 

The Arctic ice is getting thinner; there is less of it and it breaks up at different times and places than it used to. This is having an impact on tourism, resources and shipping and is potentially going to open the door to geopolitical conflict, he warned. 

Climate changes are certainly  part of the narwhal exhibition now at the Smithsonian, he said. But there is also the beauty of the animals and the environment in which they live; and the stories and art of the Inuit, in addition of course to the scientific data. 

Peeters wrapped things up with an explanation of her work as an environmental economist and an explanation of sustainability week. 

“Every one of us has to do a little something” to help bring the world back in balance, she said.