Pitseolak Ashoona
Pitseolak Ashoona,
CM (
1904 or
1907 -
1983;
Inuktitut syllabics:
ᐱᑦ"ᐅ"ᖅ ᐊ"") was an
Inuit Canadian artist admired for the unpretentious authenticity in her works. She was also a member of the
Royal Academy of the Arts.
Pitseolak was born on
Nottingham Island in the
Northwest Territories. She grew up with the traditional life of hunting, gathering and shamans. She was part of one of the last generations of
Inuit who grew up with the traditional lifestyles enjoyed by the
North American Inuit since before
1000 BC.
Marrying Ashoona, a hunter, in the
Foxe Peninsula of
Baffin Island, they raised 12 children (or 17?), 10 (or 6?) of which survived past infancy. Ashoona the hunter then died at age 40, leaving her all alone with a handful of kids.
The government administrator and her cousin both inspired her to try her hand at drawing, then
copper plates, a technique she did not enjoy.
In the last two decades of her life, she assembled a collection of 7000 images, 233 of which became prints in her Cape Dorset Collection. Her artwork focuses on both daily life and legends, or Taleelayu.
Her
portrait was featured on a stamp in commemoration of
International Woman's Day, and in
1977, she was made a Member of the
Order of Canada, the first level of the highest possible honour for a Canadian civilian.
On
May 28,
1983, Pitseolak Ashoona died in
Cape Dorset. She was survived by a large family of artists, including:
* Napatchie Pootoogook, graphic artist--daughter.
* Qaqaq Ashoona ("Kaka") (1928-1996), sculptor--elder son
** Ohitok, sculptor--grandson
* Kiawak Ashoona (born 1933) ("Kiugak"), sculptor--son
* Kumwartok Ashoona, sculptor--son
