Robert Kuptana is an Inuvialuit artist, born in Paulatuk (Paulatuuq) in 1962. The younger brother of sculptor Floyd Kuptana and the cousin of David Ruben Piqtoukun and Abraham Anghik Ruben, Kuptana began carving professionally in 1998. While many of his sculptures feature mythological or fantastic beings, this sculpture is a straightforward but thoroughly modern depiction of a Mother and Child, stylized in a manner that emphasizes both the intimacy between the two and the powerful nurturing nature of the mother. The body of the mother is dwarfed by the enormous face of the mother, which is made even more striking by the addition of inlaid ivory eyes and mouth. The scalloped design around the heads of mother and child, depicting the amautiq’s fur trim, is another dramatic touch that emphasizes the faces of the mother and child and reinforces the protective nature of the maternal bond.