Shaman Carrying Cross

Taloyoak
Stone, Whalebone, Antler
23” x 14” x 22”

* Cannot be shipped out of Canada.

Charlie Ugyuk, the elder brother of fellow sculptor Judas Ullulaq, first began carving in the mid-1960s, before their move to Taloyoak in 1970. Working in a highly realistic yet increasingly grotesque style, Ugyuk focused more deeply on shamanic and demonic themes in the latter part of his career.

In this sculpture, a massive whalebone cross is slung over the shaman’s shoulder—an imposing symbol of the Christian faith that displaced traditional Inuit spirituality and shamanic practices. Ugyuk, like many Inuit, wrestled with the challenge of reconciling two vastly different belief systems. The shaman is shown both literally and metaphorically bearing the weight of colonialism and imposed religion. His left foot, caught mid-transformation into a three-taloned claw, signifies his enduring yet faltering connection to the spirit world. This single transformed foot reflects the shaman’s internal struggle to retain his ability to shape-shift and communicate with the spirit realm and tuurngait—animal spirit helpers—while shouldering the crushing weight of colonial spiritual imposition.