DANIEL INUKPUK (1942-2015) INUKJUAK (PORT HARRISON)
Man with Avataq, 1997
stone, 4.75 x 3.25 x 4 in (12.1 x 8.3 x 10.2 cm)
dated and signed, "97 / ᑕᓂᐊᓕ ᐃᓄᐳ".
dated and signed, "97 / ᑕᓂᐊᓕ ᐃᓄᐳ".
LOT 49
ESTIMATE: $300 — $400
ESTIMATE: $300 — $400
Further images
Made from a complete sealskin, an avataq is a hunting float that keeps a hunter's catch afloat on the water, or can serve as a marker for locating a submerged...
Made from a complete sealskin, an avataq is a hunting float that keeps a hunter's catch afloat on the water, or can serve as a marker for locating a submerged catch that was harpooned. Any holes in the skin are carefully plugged up and sealed, and air is blown into it, much like a balloon, to allow it to float. Here there is a slightly comical air to the benign task, as a man is hunched over and blowing into the avataq, and the avataq itself is still lumpy from being half-full, flippers still attached and protruding out of the sides.
Provenance
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