When discussing the abilities of artists it is common to remark upon their inherent gifts or their natural born powers to create. These artistic skills are most certainly true for Inuk artist Pitseolak Ashoona and her family. In both a metaphorical and genealogical sense, Pitseolak can be seen as the grandmother of contemporary Inuit arts. 

ᑎᑎᕐᑐᒐᖅᑏᑦ ᐱᒃᑲᐅᓂᖏᑦ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᕆᓪᓗᒋ ᐱᑕᖃᓲᖅ ᐃᓕᓴᖅᓯᓂᕐᒥ ᐱᓯᑎᐅᓂᖏᑕ ᑕᑯᒃᓴᐅᓂᖏᑦ ᐅᕝᕙᓘᓐᓃᑦ ᐃᓕᖅᑯᓯᕆᔭᖏᓐᓂ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᕐᓂᕐᒧ ᓴᖅᑭᑦᑎᕆᓂᕐᒥ. ᑖᒃᑯᐊ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᕐᓂᕐᒧ ᐊᔪᖏᓐᓂ ᓱᓕᒻᒪᕆᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᓄᖕᒧ ᑎᑎᕐᑐᒐᖅᑎᒧᑦ ᐱᑦᓯᐅᓚ ᐊᓲᓇ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᖃᑕᙳᑎᖏᑦ. ᐊᔾᔨᐅᔪᑎᒍᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑭᖑᕚᖏᑎᒍᑦ ᑕᑯᓪᓗᒍ, ᐱᑦᓯᐅᓚ ᑕᑯᔭᐅᔪᓐᓇᖅᑐᖅ ᓂᖏᐅᕆᔭᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᐅᓪᓗᒥᐅᔪᒥ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᑎᑎᕐᑐᒐᖅᑎᖏᓐᓄ.

Pitseolak Ashoona, Summer Tent of Old, 1969. Stonecut on Japanese paper. LUMAC Collection, Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury.

ᐱᑦᓯᐅᓚ ᐊᓲᓇ, ᐊᐅᔭᒥ ᑐᐱᖓᑦ ᐃᓐᓇᐃᑦ, 1969. ᐅᒃᑯᓯᒃᓴᓕᖕᒥᑦ ᔮᐸᓃᓯ ᐊᓕᓚᔪᐊᓄᑦ. ᓗᕋᓐᓯᐊᓐ ᓯᓚᑦᑐᖅᓴᕐᕕᐊᓗᒃᒥᑦ ᑕᑯᔭᒐᖃᕐᕕᒃᒥ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᓕᕆᕝᕕᒃᒥ ᓄᐊᓯᒪᔭᖏᑦ, ᓴᓇᖕᖑᐊᖅᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ ᑕᑯᔭᒐᖃᕐᕕᒃ ᓴᑦᐳᓕ.

Pitseolak Ashoona, Evening Birds, 1970. Stonecut on Japanese paper. LUMAC Collection, Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury.

ᐱᑦᓯᐅᓚ ᐊᓲᓇ, ᐅᓐᓄᐊᑉ ᖁᐸᓄᐊᖏᑦ, 1970. ᐅᒃᑯᓯᒃᓴᓕᖕᒥᑦ ᔮᐸᓃᓯ ᐊᓕᓚᔪᐊᓄᑦ. ᓗᕋᓐᓯᐊᓐ ᓯᓚᑦᑐᖅᓴᕐᕕᐊᓗᒃᒥᑦ ᑕᑯᔭᒐᖃᕐᕕᒃᒥ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᓕᕆᕝᕕᒃᒥ ᓄᐊᓯᒪᔭᖏᑦ, ᓴᓇᖕᖑᐊᖅᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ ᑕᑯᔭᒐᖃᕐᕕᒃ ᓴᑦᐳᓕ.

Pitseolak moved her family to Kinngait following the death of her husband where she first became involved with the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative as a seamstress creating and selling finely decorated handicrafts.³ In search of a better income for her family, Pitseolak followed in the footsteps of her cousin Kiakshuk and began to produce artworks depicting the traditional Inuit way of life.⁴ Of her first drawings Pitseolak said “I think I drew little monsters. I meant the drawings to be animals but they turned out funny-looking because I had never done drawings before.”⁵

ᐱᑦᓯᐅᓚ ᖃᑕᙳᑎᓂ ᑭᙵᕐᓄᑦ ᓅᓚᐅᖅᑕᖏ ᐅᐃᖓ ᐃᓅᔪᓐᓃᓚᐅᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᐱᓕᕆᖃᑕᐅᓕᖅᖢᓂᓗ ᐅᐊᓕᓂᕐᒥ ᕿᑭᖅᑖᓗᒃ ᐃᓄᖕᓄ ᑯᐊᐸᒥ ᒥᖅᓱᖅᑎᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᓴᖅᑭᑎᕆᓪᓗᓂ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓂᐅᕕᐊᒃᓴᖃᖅᖢᓂ ᑲᒪᑦᑎᐊᖅᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ ᑕᖅᓯᖅᓱᖅᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ ᓱᓇᕈᓘᔭᕐᓂᒃ.³ ᑮᓇᐅᔭᓕᐅᑦᑎᐊᕐᓂᖅᓴᒥ ᕿᓂᖅᖢᓂ ᖃᑕᙳᑎᖓᓅᖅᑐᓄ, ᐱᑦᓯᐅᓚ ᒪᓕᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᐃᓪᓗᖓᑕ ᑭᐊᒃᓱᒃ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖏᓐᓂ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐱᒋᐊᖅᖢᓂ ᑎᑎᕐᑐᒐᕐᓂᕐᒥ ᓴᖅᑭᑎᕆᓂᕐᒥ ᑕᑯᑎᑦᑎᔪᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐃᓕᖅᑯᓯᑐᖃᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᓅᓯᕐᒥ.⁴ ᓯᕗᓪᓕᖅᐹᑦ ᑎᑎᕋᐅᔭᖅᑕᖏᓐᓂ ᐱᑦᓯᐅᓚ ᐅᖃᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ “ᑎᑎᕋᐅᔭᖅᑰᖅᑐᖓ ᒥᑭᑦᑐᓂᒃ ᑲᑉᐱᐊᓇᖅᑐᙳᐊᓂᒃ. ᑎᑎᕋᐅᔭᖅᑕᒃᑲ ᓂᕐᔪᑎᙳᐊᖑᑎᓐᓇᓱᒃᑕᒃᑭ ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᑎᔅᓯᓇᖅᑐᙳᖅᑐᑦ ᓲᖃᐃᒻᒪ ᑎᑎᕋᐅᔭᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᖏᓐᓇᒪ.”⁵

Pitseolak Ashoona, Birds, Beast and Caribou, 1968. Stonecut on Japanese paper. LUMAC Collection, Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury.

ᐱᑦᓯᐅᓚ ᐊᓲᓇ, ᑎᖕᒥᐊᑦ, ᓱᓈᓗᑭᐊᖅ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑐᒃᑐ, 1968. ᐅᒃᑯᓯᒃᓴᓕᖕᒥᑦ ᔮᐸᓃᓯ ᐊᓕᓚᔪᐊᓄᑦ. ᓗᕋᓐᓯᐊᓐ ᓯᓚᑦᑐᖅᓴᕐᕕᐊᓗᒃᒥᑦ ᑕᑯᔭᒐᖃᕐᕕᒃᒥ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᓕᕆᕝᕕᒃᒥ ᓄᐊᓯᒪᔭᖏᑦ, ᓴᓇᖕᖑᐊᖅᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ ᑕᑯᔭᒐᖃᕐᕕᒃ ᓴᑦᐳᓕ.

Kiakshuk, Untitled No.2 (The Hunters Return), 1962. Engraving on paper. LUMAC Collection, Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury.

ᑭᐊᒃᓱᒃ, ᐊᑎᖃᙱᖅᑐᖅ ᓈᓴᐅᑖ 2 (ᐊᖑᓇᓱᒋᐋᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᑎᑭᑦᑐᑦ), 1962. ᓴᕿᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐊᓕᓚᔪᐊᓄᑦ. ᓗᕋᓐᓯᐊᓐ ᓯᓚᑦᑐᖅᓴᕐᕕᐊᓗᒃᒥᑦ ᑕᑯᔭᒐᖃᕐᕕᒃᒥ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᓕᕆᕝᕕᒃᒥ ᓄᐊᓯᒪᔭᖏᑦ, ᓴᓇᖕᖑᐊᖅᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ ᑕᑯᔭᒐᖃᕐᕕᒃ ᓴᑦᐳᓕ.

Pitseolak Ashoona, Mother and Children Drying Boots, 1962. Engraving on paper. LUMAC Collection, Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury.

ᐱᑦᓯᐅᓚ ᐊᓲᓇ, ᐊᓈᓇ ᕿᑐᙵᖏᓪᓗ ᐸᓂᖅᓰᔪᑦ ᑲᒥᖕᓂᑦ, 1962. ᓴᕿᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐊᓕᓚᔪᐊᓄᑦ. ᓗᕋᓐᓯᐊᓐ ᓯᓚᑦᑐᖅᓴᕐᕕᐊᓗᒃᒥᑦ ᑕᑯᔭᒐᖃᕐᕕᒃᒥ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᓕᕆᕝᕕᒃᒥ ᓄᐊᓯᒪᔭᖏᑦ, ᓴᓇᖕᖑᐊᖅᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ ᑕᑯᔭᒐᖃᕐᕕᒃ ᓴᑦᐳᓕ.

Breaking from tradition, Pitseolak never remarried after Ashoona’s death and supported her family through the sale of her art.⁶ It is said that in her lifetime Pitseolak completed as many as 9,000 drawings.⁷

ᐅᖃᐅᓯᐅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐱᑦᓯᐅᓚ ᐃᓅᓯᓕᒫᖓᓂ ᐱᔭᕇᖅᓯᓯᒪᓂᖓᓂ 9,000−ᓂᒃ ᑎᑎᕐᑐᒐᓂᒃ.⁶ ᐱᖅᑯᓯᑕᖃᖅ ᓴᓂᕐᕙᒃᖢᒍ, ᐱᑦᓯᐅᓚ ᓄᓕᐊᖅᑖᒃᑲᓐᓂᓚᐅᖏᑦᑐᖅ ᐊᓲᓇ ᐃᓅᔪᓐᓃᓚᐅᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᖃᑕᙳᑎᓂᒃ ᐃᑲᔪᓚᐅᖅᖢᓂᐅᒃ ᓂᐅᕕᐊᒃᓴᖃᕐᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᑎᑎᕐᑐᒐᓂᒃ.⁷

Pitseolak Ashoona, Furry Owl, 1963. Stonecut on Japanese paper. LUMAC Collection, Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury.

ᐱᑦᓯᐅᓚ ᐊᓲᓇ, ᐅᒃᐱᒃᔪᐊᖅ ᒥᖁᕆᒃᑐᖅ, 1963. ᐅᒃᑯᓯᒃᓴᓕᖕᒥᑦ ᔮᐸᓃᓯ ᐊᓕᓚᔪᐊᓄᑦ. ᓗᕋᓐᓯᐊᓐ ᓯᓚᑦᑐᖅᓴᕐᕕᐊᓗᒃᒥᑦ ᑕᑯᔭᒐᖃᕐᕕᒃᒥ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᓕᕆᕝᕕᒃᒥ ᓄᐊᓯᒪᔭᖏᑦ, ᓴᓇᖕᖑᐊᖅᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ ᑕᑯᔭᒐᖃᕐᕕᒃ ᓴᑦᐳᓕ.

Pitseolak Ashoona, Owl Attacking Fish, 1967. Stonecut on Japanese paper. LUMAC Collection, Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury.

ᐱᑦᓯᐅᓚ ᐊᓲᓇ, ᐅᒃᐱᒃᔪᐊᖅ ᓂᕆᓇᓱᒃᑐᖅ ᐃᖃᓗᖕᒥᒃ, 1967. ᐅᒃᑯᓯᒃᓴᓕᖕᒥᑦ ᔮᐸᓃᓯ ᐊᓕᓚᔪᐊᓄᑦ. ᓗᕋᓐᓯᐊᓐ ᓯᓚᑦᑐᖅᓴᕐᕕᐊᓗᒃᒥᑦ ᑕᑯᔭᒐᖃᕐᕕᒃᒥ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᓕᕆᕝᕕᒃᒥ ᓄᐊᓯᒪᔭᖏᑦ, ᓴᓇᖕᖑᐊᖅᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ ᑕᑯᔭᒐᖃᕐᕕᒃ ᓴᑦᐳᓕ.

Pitseolak Ashoona, Bird with Avatuk, 1970. Stonecut on Japanese paper. LUMAC Collection, Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury.

ᐱᑦᓯᐅᓚ ᐊᓲᓇ, ᖁᐸᓄᐊᖅ ᐊᕙᑕᓕᒃ, 1970. ᐅᒃᑯᓯᒃᓴᓕᖕᒥᑦ ᔮᐸᓃᓯ ᐊᓕᓚᔪᐊᓄᑦ. ᓗᕋᓐᓯᐊᓐ ᓯᓚᑦᑐᖅᓴᕐᕕᐊᓗᒃᒥᑦ ᑕᑯᔭᒐᖃᕐᕕᒃᒥ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᓕᕆᕝᕕᒃᒥ ᓄᐊᓯᒪᔭᖏᑦ, ᓴᓇᖕᖑᐊᖅᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ ᑕᑯᔭᒐᖃᕐᕕᒃ ᓴᑦᐳᓕ.

While Pitseolak’s sons took up and mastered the art of stone carving, her daughter Napachie Pootoogook took up drawing alongside her mother. While their styles and content were similar at the beginning of Napachie’s career, once her mother passed away in 1983 her style began to evolve. The subjects of Napachie’s works shifted focus from the spirit world to scenes of life, offering a harsher view of reality than her mother’s idealized depictions.⁸

ᐱᑦᓯᐅᓚᑉ ᐃᕐᓂᖓ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᒐᖅᐸᓕᖅᖢᓂ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᔪᕈᓐᓃᖅᖢᓂᒃ, ᐸᓂᖓᓕ ᓇᐸᓰ ᐳᑐᒍᖅ ᑎᑎᕋᐅᔭᖃᑦᑕᓕᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᐊᓈᓇᖓᑕ ᓴᓂᐊᓃᖦᖢᓂ. ᓇᐸᔅᓯᐅᑉ ᑎᑎᕐᑐᒐᖅᑎᐅᓂᖓᑕ ᐱᒋᐊᕐᓂᖓᓂ ᐱᓕᕆᔾᔪᓯᖓ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᓗᓕᖏᑦ ᐊᔾᔨᐸᓗᒋᓚᐅᖅᑕᖓ, ᐊᓈᓇᖓ ᐃᓅᔪᓐᓃᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ 1983 ᓇᐸᔅᓯᐅᑉ ᐱᓕᕆᔾᔪᓯᖓ ᐊᓯᔾᔨᖅᐸᓪᓕᐊᓕᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ. ᓇᐸᔅᓯᐅᑉ ᓴᓇᓂᖏᑕ ᑐᕌᒐᖏᑦ ᑭᓲᓂᖏ ᐊᓯᔾᔨᓚᐅᖅᑐᑦ ᐊᓂᕐᓂᐅ ᒥᒃᓵᓅᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᐃᓅᓯᕐᒥ ᑕᑯᑎᑦᑎᔪᓄᑦ, ᑕᑯᑎᑦᑎᓪᓗᓂ ᐃᓅᓯᐅᑉ ᐊᒃᓱᕈᕐᓇᕐᓂᖓᓂ ᐊᓈᓇᖓᑕ ᑎᑎᕐᑐᒐᕐᓂᖓᑕ ᓴᓇᓂᐊᓂ ᑕᑯᑎᑦᑎᔪᓂᒃ.⁸