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“Antler totem with woman’s head on top” (2002) SOLD

Artist: ​Inuk Master Sculptor Leo Napayok (1961 – cont.) of Sallit/Coral Harbour, now based in Kangiqliniq (Rankin Inlet), Nunavut

Materials: Caribou bone (species Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus), Green/black steatite stone native to the region

Dimensions: 9.0″ H x 2.0″ W x 2.75″ D

Not all master sculptors are acknowledged worldwide. An example of an up-and-coming Inuk master would surely be Leo Napayok, a sculpture and ceramic artist from Salliq (Coral Harbour) now based in Kangiqliniq (Rankin Inlet).

Napayok has fond memories of trapping on the land with his father and incorporates traditional imagery into his work, which has already found its way into the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Canada and the Gardiner Museum.

While Inuit culture does not have totems as such, it was a convenient descriptor, as the figures have been arranged vertically. The woman’s head on top has long, thick braids, and, with the exception of one Inuk holding on below, all the imagery is sea mammals, supporting the idea that the woman represents Nuliajuk, Mother of the Sea Beasts, often referred to as Sedna.

Leo Napayok’s chosen materials for this piece are caribou bone and steatite stone native to his region, so this magnificent piece may readily be shipped to the USA or elsewhere.

Watch below the 2:00 minute trailer of the film: “Nuliajuk: Mother of the Sea Beasts.”