Art and Expression of the Netsilik

Kathy E. Zimon is Fine Arts Librarian (Emerita) of the University of
Calgary and the author of Alberta Society of Artists: The First 70
Years.

This publication evolved from an exhibition of the same title at the
Winnipeg Art Gallery in 1997–98. Netsilik means “people from the
region of the seal” and refers to the inhabitants of an area most
identified with the 19th-century expeditions searching for the Northwest
Passage, where the migratory hunter’s way of life lasted well into the
20th century. For Inuit Art Curator Darlene Coward Wight, the book is
the culmination of 20 years of research on the arts of the Netsilik in
three remote communities in what is now Nunavut: Kugaaruk (Pelly Bay),
Taloyoak (Spence Bay), and Gjoa Haven. Artists included are those who
consider themselves Netsilik, live in the area, make use of local
carving materials, and are influenced by other artists who continue to
live there.

For each of these communities she provides a brief history; an account
of the development of the arts and crafts; and a listing of significant
artists. The latter includes substantial biographies, photographs of the
artists, and portfolios of their work. There are five artists listed for
Kugaaruk; seventeen for Taloyoak, the northernmost community on the
North American mainland; and nine for Gjoa Haven. Although the sections
on the development of the arts cover wider ground, for the most part the
works illustrated are sculpture, ranging in size from about five to
sixty centimetres. A surprisingly wide range of materials are used:
ivory, whalebone, bone, caribou antler, claws, sinew, muskox horn and
hair, string, and stone, either local or imported. For example, the use
of hair and string characterizes the very contemporary work of Nick
Sikkuark, while the late Karoo Ashevak often favored whalebone. As a
whole, the works illustrated are astonishing in their quality and their
sculptors’ virtuosity.

The book is impeccably produced, lavishly illustrated in color and
black and white, and equipped with notes, catalogue of works,
bibliography, index of artists, and, most essential, maps. Over the
years, the Winnipeg Art Gallery has published many fine titles on Inuit
art—this is one of the best.