All eight of Jessie Oonark’s surviving children became artists; of the daughters, Nanurluk (usually known as Miriam Qiyuk) was one who devoted herself mostly to sculpture; she enjoyed carving together with her husband Silas Qiyuk, although she sewed a number of fine hangings as well. A distinctive feature of Nanurluk’s works is that compositionally, her depictions of families, birds, sleeping couples and similar subjects are almost invariably low-slung and carved in high relief rather than vertically oriented and open-carved, even when they are relatively large. Also interestingly, many of her sculptures illustrate clusters of figures; the artist is as well known for her carved flocks of birds as she is for her delightful family groups.

Family is an early and important example of this theme by Nanurluk, among the very finest of her works that we have seen. Like a very similar composition in the collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery (and others), this sculpture is composed of a long row of seated adults – possibly but not necessarily all women – holding children of various ages on their laps, as if posed for a family reunion photo. It certainly looks as if a few of the children are squirming. The image is truly delightful and surely attests to Nanurluk’s strong sense of family. Although depictions of families are common in Baker Lake, we can think of no other artist, male or female, who has treated the theme in a similar way or with the same degree of affection.

Literature: For similar important examples by the artist see Darlene Coward Wight, Creation and Transformation: Defining Moments in Inuit Art (Winnipeg Art Gallery, 2012), cat. 90; Bernadette Driscoll, The Inuit Amautik: I Like My Hood To Be Full (Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1980), pp. 86-87; Canadian Arctic Art Museum Ltd., Arctic Art Masterworks: Selections from the Balshine Collection of Sculpture by Inuit (Vancouver: 1998). See also Walker’s Auctions, Ottawa, May 2014, Lot 44; Nov. 2015, Lot. 54.