4. Hunter Throwing Harpoon

Inukjuak
Serpentine, Sinew, Wood
7.75” x 5.5” x 5”

This striking sculpture by first-generation Inuit master Akeeaktashuk captures a hunter poised in a moment of intense focus and survival. Harpoon raised high in his left hand, knife held ready in his right, the figure radiates determination, embodying the life-sustaining pursuits of the Arctic. Carved in Akeeaktashuk’s distinctive style, the hunter’s wide, exaggerated torso emphasizes the bulk of a traditional sealskin parka, an artistic device the sculptor used to convey both physical warmth and the cultural weight of preparedness.

Likely created circa 1950—distinguished by the use of small slit eyes rather than the concentric circles he began employing in 1953—but lacking the inlaid soap accentuations of his earlier works. A pioneer of contemporary Inuit art, Akeeaktashuk was already a prolific artist by 1949, a time when most Inuit creators remained virtually unknown outside the Arctic. His contributions were pivotal in early exhibitions that brought Inuit carving to international audiences, including Eskimo Art at the National Gallery of Canada (1951) and the Eskimo Carvings: Coronation Exhibition at Gimpel Fils in London (1953). That same year, his work and story reached the pages of Time Magazine, offering southern audiences a rare glimpse into the world of Inuit art.

Tragically, Akeeaktashuk died at age 56 in a walrus hunting accident, only a year after his forced relocation to Grise Fiord from his home in Inukjuak.