Humans have inhabited Canada's Arctic for the last 4,000 years. The first people currently known to have produced a significant amount of figurative art belonged to the Dorset culture (c. 600 B.C. - 1,000 A.D.). They carved objects from bone, ivory and wood, these included birds, bears and other land and sea animals, human figures, masks and maskettes, and face clusters. The people of the Thule culture (ancestors of today's Inuit) migrated from northern Alaska around 1,000 A.D. and drove or wiped out the early Dorset inhabitants. Thule art was based on Alaskan prototypes; it included some human and animal figures, but consisted primarily of the graphic embellishment of utilitarian objects such as combs, needle cases, harpoon toggles and gaming pieces.

Inuit Sculptures in Recent Times

The contemporary period of Inuit art began in the late 1940s. When the federal government recognized the potential economic benefit to the Inuit, it actively encouraged the development and promotion of Inuit sculpture, greatly assisted by the Hudson's Bay Company and the Canadian Handcrafts Guild. Inuit-owned cooperatives were established in the 1950s and 60s in most Arctic communities, as well as art marketing agencies in southern Canada. As well as providing much needed income in isolated Arctic villages, Inuit sculpture has achieved an international reputation as a major contemporary art form.

Imagery and Style

At first glance, Inuit sculpture may seem to be relatively homogeneous art form but, in fact, its subject matter and style are richly varied. The Inuit population (about 35,000) is widely distributed across Canada's north, so that each of the 30 or so art producing communities has developed its own favorite subject and distinct style. The theme of Arctic wildlife and traditional Inuit hunting and family scenes are still popular, but spirit figures, and mythological and shamanic images abound. Styles, too, range from strict naturalism or decorative stylization to minimal abstraction, and from brutal expressionism to whimsical surrealism. The personal styles of individual artists are readily identifiable by those who take time to look more closely.

Material and Methods

Although the generic term "soapstone" is commonly used, this is a bit misleading. Soapstone, a soft talc steatite, is not used nearly as much as the harder serpentine, serpentinite, silstone, argillite, dolomite, quartz and other types. Stone is the most versatile carving material because it can be worked to almost and size and shape. Its colours range from rather dull gray to luscious, almost semi-precious greens, whites, blue-greens, blacks etc. Materials are often in short supply, and artists must travel great distances overland or by boat to quarry quantities of good quality stone. Once the materials are obtained, carving proceeds in a fairly straightforward manner. The necessary skills, perfected in the fashioning of traditional implements, have passed down through generations of Inuit. Most Sculptures are still produced with hand tools, although a growing number of artists use small power tools as well. Saws, axes and adzes, hammers and chisels are used for the initial roughing stages of a carving. Files, rasps and, finally, steel wool and sandpaper are utilized for fine work and finishing. Penknives or nails may be used for detailed incising.

Authenticity

To protect the consumer and Inuit carver, the Canadian government has the symbol of the igloo as a trademark. Sculptures bearing this "igloo tag" or sticker are handmade by Inuit. Inuit carvers often (but not always) incise the bottom of their works with their works with signatures in Roman letters or syllabics. If you have any questions concerning any aspect of Inuit sculpture, please contact the Canadian Inuit Art Information Center, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Ottawa, K1A 0H4.

Reproduced with permission from the Canadian Government Booklet: Canadian Inuit Sculpture.

 Polar Bear Jaw