Kinngait, previously Cape Dorset and Sikusiilaq, as I described in the previous post, is where the remains of the Thule (Early Inuit) and pre-Inuit Dorset people (Tuniit) were discovered, who lived between 2000 BC and 800 AD. The European name of Cape Dorset was given by Captain Luke Foxe after Edward Sackville, 4th Earl of Dorset, on 24 September 1631. The Inuit originally called the inlet Sikusiilaq, after the area of sea ocean nearby that remains ice-free all winter. The Hudson's Bay Company (I recently learnt has the nickname of "Here Before God" because their posts were established before Missionaries arrived!) set up a trading post here in 1913, where they traded furs and skins for supplies such as tobacco, ammunition, flour, gas, tea and sugar.
In December 2019, the residents of Cape Dorset voted in favour of officially renaming the hamlet to its Inuktitut name of Kinngait.
For a map and more detail visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinngait
We arrived to a very muddy slipway with the carcass of a Walrus at the beach head, caught yesterday but already skinned and the blubber divided between the community.
Like many of these isolated communities Kinngait has a School, Hospital and Nurses Home, a Cooperative Store (Here run by Northern), a Central Community Hall (See photo of the building with the giant Walrus mural) and most importantly the West Baffin Eskimo Cooperative. The houses are rather randomly placed over the hillsides that characterise this community although I noted that each house has a clearly placed number which did appear to follow a pattern. The house numbers perhaps helping the obligatory sewage tanker and water bowser as they made their determined but unpredictable zig-zag way around the settlement.
Our first port of call was the Community Hall where many local carvers had set up stalls selling the results of their craft. I bought the small sculpture formed by layers of rock in the shape of a person, the Inuit name for this form of statue is Inukshuk and the Polar Bear, both carved out of Serpentine Rock.
Further research as I edited this blog for publication revealed that Inukshuk are a type of stone landmark or cairn built by Inuit and other peoples in the Arctic. The structures served as a form of communication and were used for various purposes, including guiding travellers, assisting hunters, warning of danger, and marking places of reverence. They can have different meanings depending on their shape and construction. Another interesting fact is that the Inukshuk is a well-known symbol in Canada, famously appearing on the flag of Nunavut and as an emblem for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
While a basic Inuksuk is a functional land marker, a similar structure called an Innumguaq that was designed to look more like a person, often holds a more ceremonial or sacred role. My small carving seems to fall into this form of statue. Neither of my acquisitions were expensive although I found online that a similar sized Innumguaq carving in a Canadian gallery was selling for $880 CAD!
These artisan carvers did a roaring trade and were genuinely delighted when you showed any interest and smiled with joy when you made a purchase!
Escorted by two of the community's dogs that seemed to be a cross between a Corgi and a Dachshund but with long scruffy coats, we made our way up a very steep and stoney slope to the West Baffin Eskimo Cooperative.
Here we were treated to a demonstration of printing Inuit Art that gives this community the title of the Capital of Inuit Art – it is a veritable factory of limited-edition prints (Usually 65 prints at a time before the original stencil, printing block or plate are either destroyed or washed clean). A new range of Limited Prints is produced each year to maintain the value and interest.
The photos show a handprint being taken from a design carved into a slate base which brought back memories of designing and printing from lino cuts as part of my 'O' Level Art course! I recall making an very passable twisting ivy design!
I was also familiar with the second demonstration of lithographic printing to give it its proper name. I'm not going to try to explain this printing technology here because its easily available elsewhere. I listened with fascination as our world-renowned Inuit Print Master explained how they use up to 12 aluminium plates to print different colours from an original artwork. That means each individual sheet of paper must be passed through the press 12 times to build up the finished print and at each pass the printer has to ensure that the paper is in exactly the same position – or register – to avoid smudging or out of alignment colours. The printer's aim is to produce a perfect print reflecting the colours, crayon marks or brush strokes of the original artist and if required the texture of the original surface as well! It can take many hours and attempts to match the colours and no final prints are taken until the Artist is satisfied that it is a quality replica of their original artwork
The history of the creation and growth of the West Baffin Eskimo Cooperative is interesting so I will save this for a further post.
