Inuit Art Research Papers

This essay discusses imitation coral reconstruction workshops based on a recipe from a sixteenth-century "book of secrets" that took place in three different educational contexts: Columbia University, Nunavut Arctic College, and... more

Beginning in the late nineteenth century around the Bering Strait, ornate pieces of carved fossil ivory bearing decorations unlike anything previously known from the Eskimo region began appearing in museum collections. These small, deeply... more

Beginning in the late nineteenth century around the Bering Strait, ornate pieces of carved fossil ivory bearing decorations unlike anything previously known from the Eskimo region began appearing in museum collections. These small, deeply patinated artifacts, which originated from ancient village sites across the region and passed from the pockets of Indigenous collectors to American whalers, teachers, traders, and museum curators, were evidence of a distinctive and scarcely known prehistoric maritime culture of northwestern Alaska and neighboring Siberia. Beautifully incised harpoon heads and socket pieces, animated zoomorphic drum and box handles, anthropomorphic figures inscribed with tattoos and body ornaments, and other objects of “unknown use” largely comprised the “high fossil ivory culture” of a society that appeared to have been centered on St. Lawrence Island,
parts of the adjacent Asiatic coast, the Diomede Islands, and portions of the Seward Peninsula of Alaska (Hrdlička 1930:174).

By the mid-1920s anthropological interest in the origins of these Paleo-Eskimo peoples peaked (Collins 1937:iii), resulting in a series of archaeological expeditions to the Bering Strait that continues to the present day. On St. Lawrence Island and the neighboring Chukotka Peninsula of Russia, excavations revealed a succession of closely
related and partially overlapping cultures—Okvik/Old Bering Sea (~50 to 800 CE) and Punuk (800 to 1200 CE)—whose settlements and cemeteries exhibited some of the finest art ever produced by a hunting society.1 Lured to the Bering Strait by vast herds of ivory-bearing sea mammals like walruses and large whales, these maritime peoples from Asia were led by shamans, whaling captains, and notable warriors. Both men and women of these peoples tattooed their bodies and crafted human figurines, or “dolls,” that often displayed ornate and naturalistic personal adornments, including amulet straps, beaded headbands, and permanent body markings that have counterparts in recent history and practice.

This paper explores a set of drawings produced by Inuit children in Nunavik. The territory of Nunavik – formerly Rupert’s land – was incorporated within the Boundaries of Canada in 1867. The population of 9,200 Inuit is housed in 15... more

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- by Scott Heyes
- •
- 5
  Wayfinding, Navigation, Inuit Art, Nunavik

This thesis addresses a long history of colonization and intergenerational traumas still existing today, and the ability that Indigenous performing arts have in addressing sexual health barriers that Northern youth are facing. In this... more

'Art is that which takes something real and makes it more real than it was before'
by Tommy Akulukjuk and Derek Rasmussen
pp59-70; Chapter 6, in
Art, EcoJustice, and Education: Intersecting Theories and Practices
(2018) Routledge, NY.

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- by Derek Rasmussen and +1
  Tommy Akulukjuk
- •
- 20
  Indigenous Studies, Art, Art Theory, Indigenous education

In the language of the Inuit, the concept "beauty" translates roughly as "goodness," emphasizing morality and truth rather than visual aesthetics. Using from our own and others' ethnographic research, we discuss beauty as a semantic... more

The precontact lifeways of Yup'ik people in Southwest Alaska were poorly known until the 2009-2018 excavations at the Nunalleq site near the village of Quinhagak. Until recently, the site dating from around AD 1400-1675 had been locked in... more

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- by Rick Knecht and +1
  Anna Mossolova
- •
- 10
  Arctic Archaeology, Alaska Native Studies, American Indian & Alaska Native, Arctic Anthropology

This thesis draws a line between two opposing positions on the protection of Traditional Knowledge and Traditional Cultural Expressions. On the one side, the one considering existing Intellectual Property tools suitable to protect the... more

This thesis draws a line between two opposing positions on the protection of Traditional Knowledge and Traditional Cultural Expressions. On the one side, the one considering existing Intellectual Property tools suitable to protect the subject matter. On the other side, the one fostering the establishment of a sui-generis binding mechanism to address the gaps of protection left by conventional Intellectual Property legislation. Initially, two case studies in which existing legal tools have been employed are analyzed, underlining the social externalities of the strategies adopted. The first case study concerns a southern Indian tribal community called Kani, and the model of benefit-sharing agreement in which its members have been involved. The second one, deals with the origins and the potential developments of the “Igloo tag”, a certification mark established by the Canadian government to protect and promote authentic Inuit art. In the second part of the thesis, the outcomes of WIPO in tailoring sui-generis mechanisms will be discussed. Since the establishment of the WIPO Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore, almost two decades have passed, and the end of the negotiations is hardly foreseeable. One of the main obstacles pointed out, concerns the recognition of collective economic and moral intellectual property rights on some forms of TK and TCEs. Indeed, philosophical theories underpinning Intellectual Property in western liberal legal tradition do not contemplate communities as right-bearers. Overall, compared to the one-fits-all international approach proposed by WIPO, a case-by-case protection with existing means is preferable. This thesis, instead of a “positive” rights-based approach, suggests a “defensive” strategy including the use of sui-generis databases. Firstly, different levels of accessibility should be established according to the secrecy and sacredness of the materials contained. Secondly, databases should provide a holistic account of the culture they store. To this end, it will be necessary for digitalized items to indicate, through user-friendly labels and licenses, how to comply with the customary law of the community in using the material.

Tattooing was a widespread cultural practice amongst Inuit women for millennia before the first Europeans arrived in the Arctic. However, by the nineteenth century, colonial, imperial, and missionary mechanisms led to the decline of many... more

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- by Jamie Jelinski
- •
- 15
  Art History, Visual Culture, Cross-Cultural Studies, Canadian art

This article reflects upon the interplay of digital, material, and social relations in the context of a small-scale digital archiving project currently being undertaken by a group of women ethnographers, videographers, and sealskin... more

Excerpt from the Preface: As a student of history in art, I initially became intrigued with prehistoric Inuit art as evidence of the diffusion of motifs and cultural practices, particularly those related to shamanism, in the circumpolar... more

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- by Emily E. Auger
- •
- 11
  Art History, Art, Arctic Discourses, Arctic Archaeology

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- by Christina Williamson
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- 7
  Museum Studies, Canadian art, Decolonization, Inuit Art

Die hier versammelten Beiträge erzählen von Gesellschaften rund um den nördlichen Polarkreis. Entdeckungs- und Kolonialgeschichte seit dem Mittelalter und indigene orale Geschichte bilden den Ausgangspunkt zum Verständnis rezenter... more

Die hier versammelten Beiträge erzählen von Gesellschaften rund um den nördlichen Polarkreis. Entdeckungs- und Kolonialgeschichte seit dem Mittelalter und indigene orale Geschichte bilden den Ausgangspunkt zum Verständnis rezenter Prozesse. Im Zentrum der hier abgebildeten Diskurse stehen internationale Geopolitik, Aufarbeitung des kolonialen Erbes und indigene politische Aspekte ebenso wie beispielsweise der Wettlauf um Bodenschätze, Klimawandel, Genderdebatten oder arktisches Kunstschaffen.
Ein verbindendes Element dieser Beiträge bilden dabei Kolonisierungsprozesse und deren vielfältige, oftmals sehr verworrene Auswirkungen. Dies spannt wiederum den Bogen zur Einbettung der Region in globale Prozesse und politische sowie ökonomische Globalisierung mit ihren diversifizierten lokalen Konsequenzen. Neoliberale Prozesse haben in einer gesellschaftlich sich rapide verändernden Region neue Herausforderungen mit sich gebracht. Gleiches gilt für den im Norden massiv spürbaren Klimawandel, der nicht nur Umweltauswirkungen, sondern ganz besonders auch kulturelle und soziale Veränderungen mit sich bringt.
Die AutorInnen aus Geschichte, Kunstgeschichte, Politikwissenschaft, Philologie, Geographie und Sozialanthropologie richten sich an ein breites Publikum, das sich auf die Reise durch die unterschiedlichen Länder und Regionen rund um den nördlichen Polarkreis aufmachen möchte.

Inhalt

Peter SCHWEITZER – Gertrude SAXINGER – Stefan DONECKER
Einleitung 11

Eleanor Rosamund BARRACLOUGH – Stefan DONECKER Europa und die Arktis vor 1800
Entdeckungen, Begegnungen und Kontakte 24

Peter SCHWEITZER
Der hohe Norden als Teil des globalen Südens?
Koloniale und postkoloniale Entwicklungen in der Arktis und Subarktis
vom 19. bis ins 21. Jahrhundert 46

Sonja LÜHRMANN
Russisch-Amerika und die Folgen 67

Stephan DUDECK – Lukas ALLEMANN
Indigene Oral History entlang des Eismeeres von Lappland bis zum Lena-Delta ... 83

Alicia KRÖMER – Lukas ALLEMANN Arktische Assimilierungspolitiken
Indigene Kinder in Internatsschulen des 20. Jahrhunderts 103

Verena TRAEGER
Kunst im Spannungsfeld von Tradition und Innovation
Grönlands Moderne Kunstszene 121

Joachim Otto HABECK
Gender Shift im hohen Norden Russlands
Verlauf und Folgen des sowjetischen Modernisierungsprojekts 150

Annett BARTSCH – Alexandra MEYER Klimawandel in der Arktis
Perspektiven aus den Natur- und Sozialwissenschaften 166

Emma WILSON – Florian STAMMLER – Gertrude SAXINGER Jenseits von Extraktivismus und alternativen Kosmologien
Arktische Gesellschaften und die Rohstoffindustrie in unsicheren Zeiten 183

Miguel RONCERO Sicherheit in der Arktis
Hohe Politik im hohen Norden 198

Autorinnen und Autoren 221

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- by Gertrude Saxinger and +1
  Peter P Schweitzer
- •
- 12
  Arctic Social Science, Arctic Discourses, Scandinavian Studies, Arctic Anthropology

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- by Norman Vorano
- •
- 5
  Modernism (Art History), Primitivism (Art History), Inuit, Inuit Art

First of a three-part series on the arts of the Americas aimed at introducing new students to unfamiliar expressive traditions

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- by Maureen Flynn-Burhoe
- •
- Inuit Art

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- by Aurélie Maire
- •
- 7
  Social Networks, Art, Social Media, Inuit

Heritage is important to regional development in terms of promoting a sense of place and a sense of identity for those in the region. Heritage is often expressed through culture and the arts as a means of manifesting a community’s sense... more

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- by Robbie Collins
- •
- 12
  Geography, Publishing, Cultural Heritage, Sustainable Development

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- by Shoey Raz
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- 18
  Hebrew Literature, Zen Buddhism, Prose Poetry, West Asian Studies

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- by Derek Rasmussen
- •
- 20
  Indigenous Studies, Art, Art Theory, Indigenous education

This doctoral research examines the themes of figurative practices, symbolic representations and the socio-cultural stakes specific to Inuit graphic arts in the communities of Kinngait (Cape Dorset) and Pangniqtuuq (Pangnirtung) in... more

Cette recherche doctorale examine les pratiques figuratives, les représentations symboliques et les enjeux socio-culturels des arts graphiques inuit dans les communautés de Kinngait (Cape Dorset) et de Pangniqtuuq (Pangnirtung) au Nunavut... more

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- by Kimberley McMahon-Coleman and +1
  Robbie Collins
- •
- Inuit Art

This article documents and comments on Qaumajuq, the new centre for Inuit art at the Winnnipeg Art Gallery, by Michael Maltzan Architects and Cibinel Architecture; in parallel with Nicole Luke's overview of the building and inaugural... more

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- by Lawrence Bird
- •
- 4
  Architecture, Contemporary Indigenous Arts, Inuit Art, Art Galleries

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- by Matthew Ryan Smith
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- 27
  Art History, Indigenous Studies, Art, Art Theory

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- by Aurélie Maire
- •
- 9
  Ethnolinguistics, Social Sciences, Contemporary Art, Oral Traditions

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- by Suresh Pillai
- •
- 79
  Sociology, Demography, Archaeology, Art History

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- by Emily E. Auger
- •
- 4
  Art, Indigenous artists, Contemporary Indigenous Arts, Inuit Art

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- by Kenneth R Lister
- •
- 5
  Canadian art, Inuit Art, Inuit Studies, Canadian Studies/Inuit

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- by frederic laugrand
- •
- 3
  Shamanism, Inuit, Inuit Art

Western thinking, which is predominantly linear and analytical, does not adequately give access to the complexities of Inuit visual culture. However hypertext offers new possibilities for information management, and the aboriginal... more

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- by Maureen Flynn-Burhoe
- •
- 3
  Canadian Studies, Information Technology, Inuit Art

Co-authored with G. Mitchell: New material about Inuit who visited England in the 18th century was recently discovered in a British archive. Presented are three letters written by Catherine Cartwright, sister of George Cartwright of... more

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- by M. Stopp
- •
- 17
  Inuit Art, First Nations, Inuit and Metis, Mikak, Caubvick

Inuit Art

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