Some Inuit Animals (Art Diary)

The Inuit are a Native American people whose homelands are in the Canadian Arctic. A special exhibit at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture in Spokane, Washington, featured The Inuit Art of Povungnituk. Povungnituk is a village on the eastern shores of Hudson Bay in Arctic Quebec. This artwork provides some insights into the daily life of the Inuit people.

Traditionally, the Inuit were a hunting and gathering people whose subsistence was based on hunting, fishing, and gathering wild plants. As a hunting people, close observation of animals and their behaviors was important.

According to the display:

“Crisp images of native animals and human figures set against stark backgrounds portray the rituals of survival of the people and creatures of the harsh northern regions.”

Shown below are some of the animal illustrations from this special exhibit.

Shown above is Big Bear Hears a Strange Noise by Paulosie Sivuak (1930-1986) made in 1986 with serigraph and stencil. Shown above is Polar Bear Playing with Cub by Paulosie Sivuak (1930-1986) made in 1985 with stencil. Shown above is Two Otters Listening for Fish by Paulosie Sivuak (1930-1986) made in 1987 with serigraph and stencil. Shown above is Otter Fishing by Paulosie Sivuak (1930-1986) made in 1985 with serigraph and stencil. Shown above is Square Flipper Diving by Paulosie Sivuak (1930-1986) made in 1987 with serigraph and stencil. Shown above is Seals Basking in the Spring Sun by Paulosie Sivuak (1930-1986) made in 1986 with serigraph and stencil. Shown above is Two Walruses Meet on Moving Ice Floe by Paulosie Sivuak (1930-1986) made in 1987 with serigraph and stencil. Shown above is Wolf Hunting Caribou by Simon Tookoome (1934-2010) made in 1990 with woodcut and stencil. Shown above is Otters Fishing in the Water by Kanayook Tooklak made in 1985 with serigraph and stencil. Shown above is Seals Underwater by Davidee Angutigirk and Mary Qumaluk in 1988 with serigraph and stencil. Shown above is Otter Fishing by Abraham Irqu, a stonecut made in 1982.