Inuit carver shares culture, traditions

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The place and people which serve as his inspiration are 1,700 kilometres away. But sculptor Paul Qayutinnuaq needs only to look within himself to see the images for his soapstone creations.

"It's based on memory," says Qayutinnuaq, a soft-spoken 35-year-old Inuit living in Fairview, Alta. His home in this grain-growing area of Peace Country is a world apart from Gjoa Haven, the small community on King William Island in the central Arctic where he grew up.

The distance hasn't diminished his desire to preserve and record a traditional way of life he saw disappearing as foreign lifestyles and values intruded deeper and more permanently into Inuit culture.

At the age of nine, Qayutinnuaq picked up an unfinished carving his older brother had thrown down in frustration. Paul completed the piece and took it to the Gjoa Haven craft store where it was promptly sold, although he doesn't know where it went.

Qayutinnuaq's father did only a small amount of carving, but taught his son the hunting and outdoors survival skills which are the predominant themes in his son's works.

"When I was young I hunted a lot with my dad and leaned how to survive up North. Plus seeing all the animals, later on, I used this in my art," Paul says.

Since then, his works have been shown in New York, Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia and across Alberta. Some of his carvings have been sent as corporate gifts to countries such as Germany, England and France. In 1991 Qayutinnuaq was chosen as Best Craftsman from among 250 artisans at Edmonton's juried Cameo craft sale - a title he won again in 1992.

One of Qayutinnuaq's most recent artistic coups was a large commissioned piece of a polar bear which is displayed in Edmonton's city hall. Another sculpture, of a nesting loon, was presented to daredevil Evel Knievel when he was on hand in Fairview for an adult literacy fund-raising event. This spring Qayutinnuaq donated a sculpture to the local Fairview College to help in fund-raising for the same cause.

Qayutinnuaq, his wife Sue and their four children have been living in Fairview since 1990. In that time he's become used to being asked why an Inuit soapstone carver moves out of the Arctic. Part of the reason for the move south was to have greater ability to travel to shows and galleries.

Qayutinnuaq believes it isn't enough to create the art, but that it is his job to tell of the culture and lifestyle it represents. He also answers curious questions about how the pieces are made. In the end, each sculpture becomes more special when people know the story behind it, he says.

"Sometimes (the travelling) is quite a hassle but for me, I think it's important to explain what I'm doing this for. Buyers know what kind of art they're getting.

"If I'm there and explaining the art they really appreciate it more."

The couple chose Fairview because it is a smaller community and they have family friends there. They plan to go to Gjoa Haven - which has grown to a population of 1,000 - in the not-so-distant future. It has been about four years since their last trip.

The couple first met when Sue went there for a month to see her brother, the manager of the Hudson's Bay outlet. As she explains it, the visit turned into a five-year stay after she met Paul.

Then they lived in Yellowknife for seven years, where Paul produced works for local gallery. In Fairview, his time is divided between sculpting and an interior painting and decorating business.

The demanding art of carving, which at times causes his finger to bleed, is one in which he believes he is still improving.

"I'm getting better at it, plus getting faster," Paul says, but is hard-pressed to pin down how long it takes to complete a single sculpture. He typically works on a number at the same time.

"I get them to the rough stage, chopping and sanding, then I set them aside. I have to think it out, how I want it to look or else every one would end up the same."

The couple estimates he has done 100pieces of varying sizes in the last two years. Some works show great attention to detail and may be intricate one-piece carvings of several figures. Others are most stylistic. Most feature wildlife, predominately bears, whales and birds or traditional hunting and fishing scenes.

Besides using light green stone from the Arctic, Paul works with brown soapstone available from Brazil and black and dark green stone from northern British Columbia.

Unique touches to the pieces include sinew for dog harnesses, caribou antler for harpoon tips and snow knives and ivory for inset eyes, teeth and spear points. Driftwood is also incorporated into some pieces.

Qayutinnuaq works on his own ideas or fills custom orders in a shop back of the family home. Sue does the bookkeeping and helps run the business side of the operation.

His works have sold for as high as $2,000 but usually range in price from $200 to $800. The cost increases when it is the harder, darker soapstone.

Not one to be satisfied what he has done in the past, Qayutinnuaq has in mind a project to show the recreation of modern Inuit people, from playing hockey to other northern sports that have been passed down for generations.