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There is a story dating from the 1950s, which recounts how printmaking started in the Inuit communities of the north. It is said that Oshoweetuk, an Inuit sculptor pointed to a duplicate image on several packages of cigarettes and asked how it was reproduced. James Huston, who was working with the Hudson Bay company at the time, illustrated the technique of printing by rubbing ink onto a piece of incise bone and then laying it on a piece of toilet paper; when he pulled it up the relief image carved into the bone transferred to the paper. Oshoweetuk looked at the printed transfer and said, “We could do that.” Shortly after, the first printmaking studio opened its doors in Cape Dorset. Not too long after, Povungnituk, Ulukhaktok (previously known as Holman), Baker Lake and Pangnirtung followed Cape Dorset’s example and created economic opportunities for the local Inuit artists.

Today, Ulukhaktok prints contribute a significant

By k aren Cornelius

component to the identity of this place, where the artists have been inspired by the areas traditional way of life, keeping the past alive, while creating an important historical record. The prints, which focus on traditional stories, cultural practices, legends and mythologies, have been important in affirming cultural pride. Printmaker Mable Nigiyok is one such artist, and points to the stories that her father and his friends told and the songs they sang, and which now inspire her work. She says, “they thought I should put these stories and songs on paper so they can be shown around and others can know how we lived.” In addition, the prints coming out of the North have allowed outsiders to appreciate the richness and diversity of Inuit culture and have given the artists some income.

The first Holman prints were made by cutting a design into a piece of tanned sealskin, after a razor had shaved the skin’s hair. Colour was then transferred with a toothbrush soaked in ink. Alec Aliknak Banksland and Harry Egotak created the first sealskin stencil prints in 1963. Later, Elsie Klengenberg, Mable Nigiyok and Mary Okheena began to create complex stencil prints, replacing sealskin stencils with Mylar overlays.

Unfortunately, the Holman Print Studio closed its doors in 2000 due to financial difficulties. The closing of the print studio was devastating for the printmakers. For 10 years they had no access to the printmaking equipment. Although a number of the printmakers continued to create small stencil prints in their homes, the quality of their work suffered and the subject matters that they printed remained static.

Through great efforts from various organizations, however, the Ulukhaktok Arts Centre was reopened in 2010. Artist Susie Malgokak coveys what this meant: “when the art shop closed for ten years it was very hard for us who depended on the art shop. We are happy that it is open again so we can start making prints again.” Lynn Feasey, an art consultant, proclaims that this is a great first step for Ulukhaktok print artists to produce creative works and help themselves economically.

Printmaking images made in the Canadian Arctic by Inuit artists offer a unique prospective by the Inuit people in Canada. Inuit prints have become a recognized Canadian art form and are respected and collected both nationally and internationally. Access to this printmaking facility is a significant step for the growth of the artists, and it allows for contemporary work to reflect the North and reintroduce an important aspect of the Inuit culture in a rapidly changing world.∞