Kinngait is an Inuit community located in Nunavut (Baffin Island) 

The Kinngait Studios

More than 1200 people live in Kinngait and most families count with one’s one artist or more as carver, printer or drawer. The Kinngait hamlet is well-know on the international art market as the major art centre in the Canadian Arctic.

in the Canadian Arctic ; it is called in English “Cape Dorset” by Qallunaat (non Inuit) instead of its Inuit name “Kinngait” which means in inuktitut “mountains”.Kinngait-miut (people who live in Kinngait) launched out in printmaking creation fifty years ago when the first studio opened there. In 1959 was found the West-Baffin Eskimo Co-operative by the Inuit own selves to control the artworks distribution outside the Inuit territories and locally redistribute the profit of the sales.

Prints are realized in two studios depending the printmaking technique used : there is a studio for stonecut and another one for lithograph where work between five and ten printmakers in each studio.

Kinngait Annual Print collection 2008

The 2008 Kinngait print collection includes 15 lithographs, 10 etching and aquatint, 8 stonecut and stencil, and 1 stonecut. These prints were realized by 12 drawers (Annie Putuguq, Arnaqu Ashevak, Itee Putuguq, Kananginak Putuguq, Qavavau Mannumi, Kenojuak Ashevak, Ningiukuluk Teevee, Ohotaq Mikkigak, Papiara Tukiki, Pitalosie Saila, Suvinai Ashoona and Tim Pitsiulak) and 5 printmakers (Niviaqsi Quvianatuliaq, Pitseolak Niviaqsi, Qiatsuq Niviaqsi, Arnaqu Ashevak and Qavavau Mannumi).

The prints are one of their important methods of storytelling, thus continuing the transmission of traditional knowledge. These prints record Inuit family and individual histories, or their feelings about oral myths. They show with pride the Inuit territories, their animals and spirit creatures from the shamanic world.

See

:

Ryan, Leslie Boyd, 2007, Cape Dorset prints, a retrospective : fifty years of printmaking at the Kinngait studios, San Francisco, Pomegranate.

(we sell this book in our gallery ! Please, contact us)

www.dorsetfinearts.com

Before that I used to try drawing on the window of my tent when there was frost. The window was made out of the dried intestine of a square flipper. I used my fingers for drawing different kinds of pictures. I never really thought about using pencil and paper as it was hard to get hold of paper to draw on.

I usually try do draw something that make sense, and to me drawing usually makes sense if you have experienced what you are drawing yourself. It might not make sense to someone else, but I draw what I have done. It seems to be all right to draw something even if it looks like sad, as long as it has actually happened. I have heard that all my drawings should look happy. I draw what I have gone through in my life, not just happiness.

I also like to do drawings of shamanism because I have heard about shamanism from my father. My father was living during the days when there was shamanism and I learned about it from him when he used to tell me stories.

I also do drawings of the Inuit and how they used to live. That way, the true inuit way of life can be seen more clearly through drawings or carvings. When you do these drawings, it really reminds you of that way of life. The picture might look like just a drawing, but in my mind it is following the old Inuit way of life and how they used to live.

When I go boating in the summer, I often get ideas for my work. When you’re travelling outdoors it reminds you of what kinds of things you should draw. That’s how I usually get ideas for my drawings.

(Excerpt translated by Jonah Kilabuk from Inuktitut into English in Panniqtuuq)

Lypa Pitsiulak who is a well known artist, was born on April 21, 1943 and moved to Panniqtuuq (Baffin Island, Nunavut) in 1967 where he lives, carves and draws.

Reference :

Pitsulak, Lypa, “My ideas come from up in the air”, in Latocki, B. (éd.),1983, Baffin Island. Winnipeg, The Winnipeg Art Gallery, pp. 11-19.

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 outside to start off their day. It was part of our tradition - we believed tnat it prevented laziness. Girls were told by their mothers that if they did not go outside as soon as they woke up, they would have a long labour and difficult time delivering their babies. So women usually tried to stick to this traditional routine.

We believe that a child is influenced by whatever the mother does during pregnancy. If she goes outside and does things quickly, the child will be quick to come out into the world. If a young boy goes outside quickly after waking up, he will have a much easier time hunting.

Our parents and elders did not have to lecture us very often - unlike today’s young people - because we listened to their lectures and respected their advice. [...] There was a lot more respect, because living in a small community made us all very close.

As we grew into a young women, we were taught to soften skins and sew clothes. We felt very proud when we finished our first clothing - that was an important accomplishment for girls in those days. Our mother made thimbles out of thick for us as a reward for our first attempt at sewing.

Actually, sewing seemed to come naturally to girls. We watched older womem sewing and imitated them and wanted to follow their example. We usually started off clumsily, trying to sew by ourselves. We were given instructions only when we made mistakes. A girl did not have to be a particular age to learn to sew.

It was also necessary to learn household chores like lighting the qulliq (oil lamp) properly; in those days, that was the only form of heating in our home. Though it did not being very much heat, we were rarely cold because eating rich country food kept us healthy.

In those days, people were stronger as well as more determinate and persistent. In acquiring the techniques necessary for survival, we did not give us easily. We had no choice. [...]

Young boys could hardly wait to accompany their fathers when they went out hunting. They tried to prove their strength and ability to withstand the cold. If a boy showed signs of weakness, the experience was postponed until he was older and stronger. He had to be able to stay out in the cold for long periods, looking for food with his father. Sometimes a boy would cry and complain that he wanted to go with his father, but if his parents thought he wasn’t strong enough, he was not allow to go.

Nutarakittuq, Elisapee, 1990. « Unikaat uqausirijaujullu / Recollections and Comments / Souvenirs et observations », Inuktitut Magazine, 72 : 26-45.

We the Inuit, where do we come from and how did we get there ? This is a big question to us all even in the Qallunaat’s way of thinking or learning. We are still a mystery to them, but our ancestors are the ones who we give praise to for all that they have achieved – to live, to feel, to survive for centuries before the white people came. Some of the Qallunaat came with good intentions to teach us a better way of life, some came to destroy our livelihood and culture. But there is one thing we must not forget, and that is how our ancestors brought us this far, in spite of severe cold, and constantly searching for food. Or are we forgetting ?

Let us think back fifty years ago and compare our people’s living conditions then with our present living environment. We are gained very little to add to what our forefathers have left us.

So let us realize today we are living in the present times without observing what we are loosing, and that is our own Inuit culture, which our grandfathers have passed on to us from generation to generation. Are we keeping our old traditions, or are we going to forget them for good ? I am sorry to say we are forgetting them fort now, and if we do not do something to preserve our culture it will just disappear. All will never, never be heard or seen again. […] All will be lost, so let us wake up and restore our old methods and old culture while there is still time, because if we lose it, it will be a tragedy , after all our ancestors have shown us. […]

Today if we can think like our ancestors and put to use what they have achieved for us and adopt the Qallunaat’s way of learning at the same time, and keep our own, we will be further ahead. We should learn as much as we can from this new culture, but we must not forget our own culture which is important to us.

So let us wake up to a new day, with new thoughts, new gifts, and new learning from the new culture. But we must remember our ancestors who had endure the cold, with the help of their knowledge and ingenuity. We could put our learning with this new modern way of living, and only then will we have a bright future, with the white people’s learning and our own culture. […] At the moment we Inuit seem to be off with two different minds. First, the older people know the old way of living, know the language because their forefathers taught them well; and second , the young people are not interested in keeping their own language. They are not being taught to keep their own language. It is important to have own language. At least it will be something we have inherited from our fathers if we keep it.

We should be happy to be who we are, living and working together, keeping our culture strong. After all, we are most comfortable with our own language.

When you learn to work and live the Qallunaat’s way you lose the Inuit way. This can’t be helped. We want progress and comfort and education and security. We can have these things and still keep our language. We need our language to keep us happy together. An Inuk who has lost his language is completely lost. He doesn’t belong anywhere. Keep our language alive and keep the Inuit alive. […] The Inuit language is powerful. It could be used to give many great thoughts to the world. If the Inuit themselves don’t use their language more, and very soon the Inuit too will be a forgotten people. […] It’s no good looking like an Inuk if you can’t speak like one.

There are only very few Inuit, but millions of Qallunaat, just like mosquitoes. It is something very special and wonderful to be an Inuk – they are like the snow geese. If an Inuk forgets his language and his Inuit way, he will be just another mosquito.

Thanks for having read this text untill the end. What says Abraham Okpik is so true that I was not able to bring myself to cut his text…

Source

Okpik, A. (1989). Qanuq inuuluni tukiqamangaat/What it means to be an Inuk/Ce que signifie être un Inuk. Inuktitut.Inuit Tapirisat of Canada, 70: 10-14.

The story of Lumaaq, the blind-boy cared by loons is well known. These is different versions of this story, depending the families and areas ; all talk about a young blind-boy living with his sister and his mother (or grand-mother) who mistreated them. We see here how the boy magilcally gets his sight back, in this excerpt of the myth of Lumaaq.

This story was described by Abraham Nastapoka (Aipajaqaa Nastapuuka) in Inukjuaq in Nunavik (Northern Quebec), in 1967.

In the month of June, when people were living in tents, all kinds of birds migrated north. Some loons, heading to the lakes from the sea, flew by the family’s tent, calling. The blind-boy heard the loon’s calls, and thought they could probably cure his blindness. So the blind-boy asked his sister if there was a lake nearby.

The man spent all day long all alone in the tent. He started thinking that his sister could take him to the lake where the loons went. One day, their mean, adoptive mother was away, he told his sister, “Sister, guide me to the nearest lake. After you take me there, head back home, but make some rock piles close to one another so I can use them as markers to lead me home.” And so they headed for the nearest lake.

They reached the lake. His sister went home, and the blind boy stayed at the lake, waiting for the loons that he had heard calling. The same loons flew to the lake and landed on the water, calling loudly. The boy shouted, “hey, loons, make me able to see ! Make me able to see !” The loons came close to the shore and responded, “Okay, if you want to get rid of your blindness, come to the shore and strip off your clothing.”

The boy did as he was instructed, and stripped off his clothes. He went into the water while the loons held his hands. He stood in the water up to his neck, and the loons licked his eyes. Afterwards, they made him dive under the water, telling him, ” Give us a signal when you need to come up for air. Then we’ll pull you up.” When he was under water, the boy felt nervous, so he signalled the loons even though he knew he could stay under a bit longer. To his astonishment, the loons pull him to the surface as soon as he gave the signal. When he surfaced, they asked him, “Can you see now ? ” He replied, “Yes, I can see you two.”

Again, they licked his eyes, and he has to do the same thing as before, giving a signal when he needed to breathe. On the second dive, he was less nervous, so he staid underwater a bit longer, then signalled for air. When he surfaced, the loons asked him, “Can you see the distant beach-rye grass way out by the foothills ?” He answered, “No”.

So, for the third time, they licked his eyes and made him dive underwater. He was brave enough to stay under much longer than he had before. After he signalled for air, the loons pulled him up again. When he surfaced, they asked him again, “Now, can you see the distant beach-rye grass by the foothills ?” He answered, “Now, I can see the beautiful beach-rye grass.”

The loons said, ” We have cured your blindness.” The boy, able to see, went back to the shore and put on his clothes. After that, the loons flew away.

[transcribed by Jacob Oweetaluktuk and translated by Johnny Nowra]

Source :

Abraham Nastapoka, 1995, «How the tuulliik cured the blind man » in Tumivut, atuagait inuit nunavimmiut iluqqusinginnuangajut/ Tumivut, the cultural magazine of the Nunavik Inuit/ Tumivut, la revue culturelle des Inuit du Nunavik, n◦6, p 21-22.

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 night in dogsleds, the travellers would cut their dog’s ear, for a bleeding ear was protection against future attacks.

If they didn’t do that, the Inuit who travelled at night in dogsleds would be decapitated by the northern lights.  It is said that the northern lights used human heads as a football; it is because they play football that they move at night as we see them do very well.

Because they use human heads, it is said that northern lights have an odour. This is why people who did not want to be subject to such treatment used to cut a piece of their dogs’ears. 

[text transcripted and translated by B. Saladin d’Anglure with the help of R.P. Lucien Schneider] 

The Inuit Encyclopedia by Mitiarjuk, was written in inuktitut for the anthropologist Bernard Saladin d’Anglure but was never published. An extract was presented in the cultural magazine of the Nunavik Inuit Tumivut and recount old beliefs about stars and other celestial phenomena, and about weather prediction.  

Reference : 

Mitiarjuk Napaaluk, 1993, «The Inuit Encyclopedia by Mitiarjuk» in Tumivut, atuagait inuit nunavimmiut iluqqusinginnuangajut/ Tumivut, the cultural magazine of the Nunavik Inuit/ Tumivut, la revue culturelle des Inuit du Nunavik, 4-ukiuq/n◦ 4, winter//n◦ 4, hiver, pp. 17. 

We Inuit have adapted and adopted many different words  to accommodate our understanding of our changing world. Very often, we make up a word that may not exist in our language in order to express something from another culture. The word “art”, for example, did not exist in Inuktitut. That is not to say that Inuit art did not exist, but it was a serious matter in the old days. Traditionally, Inuit made amulets, decorations for the body or hunting equipment, and replicas of everyday objects to attach to their clothing. A lot of traditional art was made for burial purposes. Those objects were taken seriously. 

To Qallunaat [non Inuit], some Inuit use to of charms may not some sound very serious. A lot of traditional art was used to “shoo away” bad spirits, to bring good luck when an event took place, to encourage a young person to bravery, and also to escort the dead to the good spirits rather than have their spirits floating around nowhere.  Very often a charm would be made to a newborn child. Some charms were made to bond closer a very special relationship. Some of these uses are still common today, especially for the bonding of special relationships. It was only when Qallunaat saw this traditional art that it became “art”. 

Today, the word titirtugait is very fascinating to Inuit like me. It is the word being used fro “printmaking”. Inuit from Cape Dorset feel that it could be either a traditional or a modern word. They feel it was made up during the 1950s when printmaking was introduced and somebody tried to translate the word “stencil”. They also believe that it was a word that did and that revived. They say it was once used to describe the picture-message writing on skins and tusks.  However, the significant thing is that all Inuit know what it means today.

To me, it is a word that will be debatable for years to come. It is like the word Qallunaat. Qallunaat does not mean “white people” ; it could mean either “people with beautiful eyebrows” or “people with beautiful manufactured material”.  

Reference :

Minnie Aodla Freeman, “Introduction” in Odette Leroux (ed.), 1995, Inuit Women Artists, Voices from Cape Dorset, Hull : Canadian Museum of Civilizations, pp. 15-16.

Although I am neither an artist nor famous, I was involved with these artists [in Kinngait] as an Inuit writer. […] The woman artists were all born here or in the outlying camps. All these artists were brought up with traditional values, but their adaptation to modern society makes them remarkable. Why do I say makes them remarkable ? Because over the years that I have lived in southern Canada, I have not met any other culture that I have adapted so suddenly to another, surviving all its shortcomings, its bad influences, and the misplaced good intentions off well-meaning people. Despite the sudden introduction of news ways, the Inuit women have remained the kind of people their traditional culture trained them to be : patient, polite, giving and always pleasant to see, with smile on their faces. The smile is one of the important gestures in Inuit culture; it can tell you everything about a person.It is not very easy to adapt from one culture to another unless one has a very deep interest in one’s new environment. Over the years, I have seen Inuit trying to keep their culture while people from other cultures disregard their culture, their own foundations. Some do this to accepted by their pairs.

Minnie Aodla Freeman has held a number of positions in the public media and government including serving as Assistant Editor of Inuit Today Magazine, as native Cultural Advisor and Narrator for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Toronto, and as Executive Secretary of the land claims secretary of the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada. She also founded and served as manager-producer of the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation, Ottawa, and has also held lectureships at the University of Alberta, the University of Western Ontario, Memorial University, and Arctic College in Iqaluit.

Reference:
Minnie Aodla Freeman, “Introduction” in Odette Leroux (ed.), 1995, Inuit Women Artists, Voices from Cape Dorset, Hull : Canadian Museum of Civilizations, pp. 14-17.