Qallunaat is the word the Inuit used to describe "white people".

After the Qallunaat arrived in our homeland, my ancestors continued to carve ivory into tools, equipment, and amulets. But out of ivory they also carved sculptures for the Qallunaat. The sculptures depicted the animals the Inuit hunted, the equipment they used, and images of themselves.

Sculptures became an important trade item for the Inuit. For the sculptures, my ancestors were able to trade for such items as food, clothing, coal oil, and tobacco. The Qallunaat and Inuit influenced each other, and the sculptures the Inuit carved were one part of that relationship.

One of the remarkable aspects of these sculptures is the degree of realism the carvers were able to achieve despite the tools they had available. The sculptures represent significant documents of the Inuit world.

SCULPTURES IN RESPONSE TO CHANGING TIMES >>