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Archive for the 'Inuit Culture and Myths' Category

Transformation scenes

Thursday, December 10th, 2009

 
Transformation scenes are delighted topics among Inuit artists as well as Inuit art collectors. There is so many different transformations depicted in art from the Arctic and each of them is unique. Many artists depict transformation scenes into carving, drawing or print such as Nick Sikkuak, Matiusi Ayaituk, Simon Tukumi, Alasau Sharky, Joe Ikidlak, Maudie [...]

New Kinngait (Cape Dorset) 2009 prints collection

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

The new Kinngait (Cape Dorset) 2009 prints collection has just arrived down south and is now available in our gallery !
 
The 2009 collection of Kinngait count thirty six prints, made out of different techniques of making prints : stonecut, lithograph, serigraph, aquatint, etching, stencil. Itee Pootoogook, Kananginak Pootoogook, Kavavaow Mannomee, Kenojuak Ashevak, Mayoreak Ashoona, Ningeokuluk [...]

Dancing bear in contemporary art from the Arctic

Thursday, July 2nd, 2009

Have you ever seen a dancing bear represented into carving, print or drawing by an Inuit artist ? Of course you did and it is not surprising because in Inuit art, dancing bear is the most popular iconographic subject. We can see so many artworks illustrating dancing bears on the international art market !  But [...]

“Katajjait” : throat singings

Monday, October 6th, 2008

The Inuit word “katajjait” is usually translated in English by “throat singings” – katajjaq is the singular. Actually, in Inuktitut (the Inuit language) katajjaq refers to a game where two women imitate animal voices and natural sounds like the one from feet walking on the ice or the one from the wind and the sea. [...]

A man that was married to a goose

Sunday, September 14th, 2008

My name is Sakkariasi Tukkiapik and my disk number is E8-719. March 28, 1968, I started writing the following stories. I deeply appreciate the fact that I have been receiving notebooks to write my stories. My problem is that I have forgotten parts of the stories I know, but I will attempt to write them [...]

Traditional Education of the Inuit Children

Saturday, September 6th, 2008

Elisapee Nutarakittuq, born around the year 1930, grew up near Qikiqtarjuaq and Naujaaqjuat (Baffin Island) in Nunavut; she shares recollections of her childhood :
The first thing we would do when we woke up in the morning was put on our clothing and boots and go out for fresh air - even before eating breakfast. Everyone stepped [...]

What it means to be an Inuk (by Abraham Okpik)

Friday, August 22nd, 2008

The text “What it means to be an Inuk” was written in August 1960 by Abraham Okpik who was the first Inuk appointed to the Northwest Territories Council in 1965. Reading this text, I was really impressed by the accuracy of Abraham Okpik’s reflection on the fact that Inuit live the Qallunaat’s way to the [...]

The story of Lumaaq

Friday, August 15th, 2008

The myths are a part of the traditional Inuit culture and were orally passed on by generation in generations. Today, the elders tell these stories to the youngest, inherit from their parents and their grand-parents. Some stories are very popular in the Arctic thus, inspiring the contemporary artists in sculpture as in graphic arts.
The story [...]

Arsaaniit (the northern lights)

Thursday, August 7th, 2008

The following text is extracted from the Inuit Encyclopedia by Mitiarjuk, written between 1965 and 1967 by Mitiarjuk Napaaluk, Inuk from Kangirsujuaq in Nunavik.

It is said that, in the past, the northern lights were a thing much feared. When they were large and frequent and could not be left behind by those who travelled at [...]

Mother and Child : a theme little represented in Inuit sculpture

Friday, July 4th, 2008

The representation of a mother and her child in sculpture is not a frequent subject in the Inuit art contrary to the qallunaat art (not Inuit) where this topic appears in the religious as profane representations. This theme remains relatively recent in the history of Inuit art although it is more present in contemporary graphics [...]