Bird Carving by Ningeosiak Ashoona, Inuit

Bird Carving
by Ningeosiak Ashoona, Inuit
Cape Dorset, Nunavut, Canada
soapstone
1.5” high x 3.5” long x 1.5” wide

Ningeosiak Ashoona was born on December 20, 1979 in Frobisher Bay (Iqaluit).  She soon arrived in the family community of Kinngait (Cape Dorset) and began living with her grandparents on the land.

Ning was born into a family of talented artists.  Her great grandmother, (Mayoreak Ashoona’s mother) Sheouak Parr was one of the first Inuit women to participate in the early drawing projects of the 1950s.  Pitseolak Ashoona, RCA, her great grandmother (Qaqaq Ashoona’s mother) was a legendary artist for her drawing, prints and paintings.  She was one of the first artists to make drawings for the print studio in Cape Dorset in the early 1960s.  She was a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of the Arts and received the Order of Canada in 1977.  Her great uncle is Kiugak Ashoona, RCA, who was a famous master carver who was also appointed to the Order of Canada in 2000.

Life on the land was based on the seasons.  During summer the family would travel and camp at different locations along the coast hunting and fishing.  Weeks were spent camping and mining stone at the soapstone quarry sites east of Cape Dorset and transporting it back by boat to the camp.  Winter was living based in the outpost camp with day or overnight trips for hunting.  Ning fondly remembers going fishing in the shallow waters of the lake in the fall when the fish are swimming up the river from the ocean to the lake.  She would be standing on the rocks in the shallow waters, moving the rocks until the fish emerge.   Ning would use a stick with a noose to catch the fish.

Carving and making drawings were the main livelihood of camp life. These artworks were taken to Cape Dorset West to sell at the Co-op where they could then purchase supplies to be able to sustain living at the outpost camp. They lived at Saturituk camp until her grandfather’s Qaqaq’s death on Sept 27,1996 after which they moved to Cape Dorset.

NinNing’s early life was a traditional one centered around hunting, trapping, fishing, and carving.  She has now been a full time carver for over 20 years with a family of her own to support.  She uses both hand and power tools.  The power tools help to increase her productivity and she uses the hand tools for intricate delicate work.  She is inspired by the beauty of Arctic animals and uses her creativity to envision new forms for her favourite subjects. Her slender and delicate loons exhibit the fragility of life.  The fluid Mermaids and Sedna’s with their elegant fins are elusive in the Arctic waters.  The balance of the Sea Spirits and Diving Seals is amazing.  Ning’s playful seals are often carved swimming or enjoying life.  The negative space around her carvings add to the sculptures presence.   Ning Ashoona has a uniquely feminine perspective.