Posted by: colewiebe
on Aug 14, 2009
Ice Road Truckers Season 3 nears the the end of the season. If you've ever considered working in the arctic, you'll enjoy Ice Road Truckers. My own experience as an ice road trucker was nearly identical to that of the truckers of Ice Road Truckers Season 2, hauling to and from the Esso E-20 rig outside of Tuktoyaktuk. Season 2 brought back a lot of memories.
We're rabid fans of IRT here at Travels North. We've been auto-downloading the episodes every Sunday from iTunes, with a season pass, but you can watch the latest episode on the History Channel every Sunday, or visit their website.
All three seasons are available from the TV Shows section in iTunes, or you can purchase Seasons 1 and 2 from the History Channel Store.
Posted by: patbirder
on Jun 29, 2009
An Inuit town on the eastern shores of the Hudson Bay, in Nunavik, Quebec, Inukjuak is situated at the mouth of the Innuksuak River. Like other Inuit communities, a nomadic lifestyle based on going where the fish and game are in order to survive shaped the culture of the people that settled in Inukjuak. Unlike other Inuit groups further north though, the somewhat milder climate may have made life a bit more sedentary. This could explain why detailed domestic scenes and camp activities are such common themes for sculptures from this area. Such depictions are sculpted in a type of mottled green stone found around Inukjuak.
A few hundred kilometers to the south of Inukjuak is Kuujjuaraapik, the southernmost Inuit village in Quebec. Shared with Cree peoples, it is also one of the northernmost Cree settlements in Quebec and is located among sand dunes at the mouth of the Great Whale River. Beautiful argillite stones are used for sculptures with themes similar to those of Inukjuak except fantasy is also commonly incorporated into the works.
Posted by: patbirder
on Jun 22, 2009
An Inuit town in Nunavik, northern Quebec, the lands of Kangirsuk and vicinity have been hunted, fished, and lived on by Inuit peoples for centuries and Viking groups for a much shorter period. Located just inland from the western coast of the Ungava Bay, Kangirsuk was established as a community in the early twentieth century when fur companies built trading posts at the site. Stone carvings from Kangirsuk are especially interesting because the style is so different from other Inuit sculptures. Although soapstone is used, unlike sculptures from many Inuit regions, those from Kangirsuk are less detailed, fairly abstract, and do not typically portray hunting or wildlife. Instead, pieces often represent daily activities and aspects of human nature.
A few hundred kilometers to the east of Kangirsuk, Nain is situated on on a bay of the Atlantic Ocean. The calm waters sheltered by islands at the bay’s entrance provide good fishing; the mainstay for this northernmost Inuit community in Nunatsiavut, Newfoundland. Although fewer artists have come from here than other Inuit communities, one of the most prominent Inuit artists, Gilbert Hay, hails from Nain. Gilbert Hay sculpts in a variety of mediums such as soapstone, ivory, the local Labradorite stone, whale bone, and antler, and also does lithographs. A versatile artist, his works reflect both traditional Inuit, and political themes.
Links
Gilbert Hay
Posted by: patbirder
on Jun 15, 2009
Located on the northeastern shore of the Hudson Bay, although the Inuit town of Akulivik, Quebec was officially named in 1976, Inuit peoples have lived in the area for thousands of years. Located on a promontory shaped liked the three-pronged spear used by the Inuit for fishing, the sheltered waters and surrounding lands also provided excellent hunting. This may explain why detailed hunting scenes and situations are so prevalent among sculptures done by the artists from Akulivik. Detailed representations of wildlife (including depictions of bears hunting seals) typically carved from soapstone or serpentine are also common subjects, and reflect the major influence that hunting has had upon artwork from Akulivik. In addition to hunting themes, carvings from this region also frequently depict characters from local lore and legend.
Similar themes are also represented in pieces done by artists from Puvirnituq, another Inuit town in the same region. Since most of the families that founded Akulivik have also lived in Puvirtinuq, there are strong similarities in the artwork from these two communities. Peter Boy Itukalla and Daviadaluk Alasua Amittu are just two of several artists from this region that have sculpted beautiful pieces representing their traditional way of life.
Links
Peter Boy Itukalla and Daviadaluk Alasua Amittu
Posted by: patbirder
on Jun 08, 2009
Located just south of the Arctic Circle in the southwestern region of Baffin Island is the town that calls itself the capitol of Inuit art; Cape Dorset. Known as “Kinngait” (High Mountains) by local Inuit peoples who have inhabited the area for at least a thousand years, Cape Dorset, Nunavut got its start in the art industry in 1953. This was the year that artist James Houston came to Cape Dorset, his home for the next ten years. During his time there, upon realization that many community members were talented artists, James Houston supported and encouraged the native artists to carve, make handicrafts, and also taught them printmaking techniques. In 1959, upon exhibition of works by Cape Dorset native artists at the Stratford festival, Inuit art reached a wider audience and the mainstay of the Cape Dorset economy was subsequently born.
Although such a wide variety of artists exhibit many styles and use a variety of stones, sculptures from Cape Dorset typically represent Arctic wildlife in natural poses and spirit world themes. Their works also tend to be dramatic, highly polished, and sometimes have delicate parts; all of these factors demonstrating the skills possessed by Cape Dorset artists.
A great deal of printmaking is also done by Cape Dorset artists, the themes of which also tend to be both naturalistic and spiritual in nature. Prints by at least one famous artist from the area, Kenojuak Ashevak, have been used for Canadian postage stamps.
Links
Kenojuak Ashvak
Posted by: patbirder
on Jun 01, 2009
The town of Pangnirtung and the city of Iqaluit are located in the southeastern region of Baffin Island. Like much of Nunavut, most inhabitants are Inuit peoples although around forty percent of Iqaluit’s population is made up of non-native peoples. While Pangnirtung is sometimes called the Switzerland of the Arctic for the snow-capped mountains that provide constant, background scenery, Iqaluit’s population of 6,000 gives it the distinction of being the smallest provincial capital city. This largest city of Nunavut also hosts many native artists that work in a variety of mediums. Nevertheless, the native artists from the Iqaluit area are known for crafting soapstone and serpentine sculptures of animals in exaggerated, action poses. Sculptures of “dancing bears” in particular (some fairly large) are typical of the Iqaluit style as are sculptures of the Inuksuk. Somewhat playing the role of an Arctic scarecrow as well as important landmarks, Inuksuks that vaguely resemble a human form were used to trick caribous during hunts.
Pangnirtung is also known for sculptures of animals done in exaggerated poses, although they tend to be larger, more shamanistic in nature, and are also carved from whalebone. In addition to sculptures, native art from Pangnirtung is also represented by weaving and printmaking.
Posted by: patbirder
on May 25, 2009
The Inuit communities of Arctic Bay, Pond Inlet, and Clyde River are located along the northern and eastern shores of Baffin Island in Nunavut. With the spectacular Baffin Mountains providing shelter, scenic beauty, and most importantly good fishing and hunting, it’s no wonder that Inuit peoples have used these lands for thousands of years. Bowhead Whales and Narwhals that flourished in the waters of the Baffin Bay and Davis Straits were hunted for the abundance of meat these animals provided. In addition to their meat, the bones were used to make tools. Although people in these communities now use tools fabricated from steel, carvings of daily life and Arctic wildlife are still crafted from whale bones and the long, ivory tusks of Narwhals.
Harvested from cold, northern shores, the whalebone sculptures from Arctic Bay, Pond Inlet, and Clyde River make for pieces whose rough texture imparts a mystical, otherworldly appearance. In addition to whalebones, red, green, and black soapstones are also sculpted to form small, polished figurines, and caribou antlers used to craft more delicate sculptures.
Posted by: patbirder
on May 18, 2009
The two, most northern, civilian settlements in Nunavut (and Canada) are the towns of Resolute Bay on Cornwallis Island, and Grise Fiord on Ellesmere Island. Established by the Canadian government through the relocation of Inuit people from northern Quebec, the climate at these settlements several hundred kilometers north of the Arctic Circle is severely cold in the winter and not all that warm during the summer despite several days of constant sunshine. A climate much more severe than that of northern Quebec, the relocated Inuit groups barely survived by learning to hunt migratory Beluga Whales.
Although the communities of Resolute Bay and Grise Fiord are small, they have produced a few renowned artists. Hailing from Grise Fiord, talented artist Looty Pijamini carves detailed figurines of Arctic animals and native peoples in serpentine, soapstone, bone, and ivory from narwhal horns. His works have been displayed in many galleries in North America and Europe. Simeonie Amagoalik lives in Resolute Bay and sculpts in ivory, bones, antlers, and soapstone. He was chosen along with Looty to sculpt monuments in Resolute Bay and Grise Fiord to commemorate the sacrifices and hardships suffered by the Inuit peoples that were relocated from Quebec to these far northern sites.
Links
Link to artwork by Looty Pijamini
Posted by: patbirder
on May 11, 2009
Baker Lake, often called the only inland community in the Canadian Arctic, is also known for its native artists from the several Inuit groups that live in this small town. Unlike the artists of other Inuit towns, those of Baker Lake use very hard, basaltic rock for sculpting instead of the more pliable serpentine or soapstone. Works made from this Keewatin rock are often rough in texture and depict large, human-animal transformations. Women artists, however, tend to produce gentler sculptures depicting domestic life. Some artists from Baker Lake, such as George Arlook, tend to sculpt in a more abstract manner.
Arviat, or “place of the Bowhead Whale”, and Rankin Inlet are located south of Baker Lake along the shore of the Hudson Bay. Sculpting with a hard type of soapstone is the predominant form of native art in Arviat. Due to the hard nature of the stone, works that usually show family scenes aren’t as detailed or elegant as other Inuit sculptures.
Although native artists that work with soapstone are also found in Rankin Inlet, regarding native art, this town is most notable for being the globe’s sole producer of Inuit fine-arts ceramics.
Links
George Arlook
Posted by: patbirder
on May 04, 2009
The Inuit town of Cambridge Bay is found on the southern shores of Victoria Island and plays a unique role in the native art of Nunavut. While some local artists sculpt in soapstone, jewelry-making and metalwork are the most prevalent art forms of this town due to the courses in jewelry and metalwork offered by the Nunavut College of Fine Arts. Students and graduates learn to craft pieces in silver, copper, and other metals that typically show scenes of traditional life and Arctic wildlife. Sometimes, small, sculpted pieces of bone are utilized in conjunction with metalwork to create blended mediums with exquisite results.
A few hundred kilometers to the east is the only permanent settlement on King William Island; Gjoa Haven. Native Inuit art from Gjoa Haven mostly occurs in the form of sculptures that depict people with curved, distorted faces and expressions. While local artists previously used translucent green stones in the past, most pieces are presently carved from dark-green, serpentine stones. Whalebones and antlers are also used, especially in adding details to the stone carvings.
Links
Cambridge Bay artists
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