Sedna Lives

Paulatuk
Soapstone, Red Pipe Stone
13” x 29” x 6”

Taken from Paulatuk at the age of five, Piqtoukun, his older sister Martha, and his younger brother and fellow sculptor Abraham Ruben were sent to residential school in Aklavik, NWT. They didn’t see their family again until 1958 and were then sent to a different residential school in Inuvik for the next eleven years, until 1970. 

Taken from his community so early in his life, Piqtoukun was forced to learn about his Inuvialuit culture through his own research in museums. Known for his re-examination of traditional legends which he then adapts in stone, Piqtoukun’s sculpture focuses primarily on transformational imagery. 

This sculpture, Sedna Lives, is a fantastic example of Piqtoukun’s recognizable style, depicting the Goddess of the Sea. Sedna’s face is slim and angular, with a broad forehead and prominent lips, a distinct feature of Piqtoukun’s sculpted visages. A sign of Sedna’s spiritual power, her right eye has two pupils of inlaid red pipe stone, a material that Piqtoukun often incorporates into his sculpture.