Inukjuak was, in many ways, the birthplace of modern Inuit art. It was there that James Houston acquired his first Inuit sculpture, an encounter that led to the landmark 1949 exhibition of Inuit art at Montreal’s Canadian Guild of Crafts (now La Guilde). During the 1950s, Inukjuak sculptors produced some of the finest works known, with artists such as Johnny Inukpuk, Akeeaktashuk, and Isa Smiler achieving great prominence. Though unsigned, this elegant bird perched on a base recalls the totemic compositions of both Amidlak (1897–1961) and Levi Amidlak (1931–1998/99).