This work tells a story of hunger, resolve, and survival. Along the upper edge, the inscription begins, “When we were starving,” followed by, “We started to walk.” The scene then sharpens into a moment of human strain. At the centre, Silas Qiyuk admits that he is too weary to keep going and suggests that they turn back. Miriam Qiyuk answers with painful realism: even if they return, there is nothing there, and they will not survive. That exchange gives the work its emotional core. What might first appear to be a simple group scene is in fact a record of endurance under extreme hardship. From left to right, the artist, Miriam Qiyuk, identifies the figures as Mary Iguptaq, Samson Aqnauyuq, Martha Palaitoq, Silas Qiyuk, Alvin Qanak, and Miriam Qiyuk.

First Arts extends our gratitude to Veronica Puskas for her assistance in cataloguing this lot.

FA