The origins of printmaking in Kinngait have taken on a nearly mythical quality, often traced to the story of the Player’s cigarette pack and the ivory-and-ink “prints” it inspired. What is certain is that Houston was imagining these possibilities in late 1955. In a letter dated 27 December 1955 to the Department of Northern Affairs and National Resources, he wrote, “In the beginning I would like to concentrate on the reproduction of their art, using soapstone blocks etched by hand, inked and the impressions taken on paper.”

Experimentation began in 1957 with the linoleum tiles sent to Houston’s home. By the spring of 1958, a first collection of prints was complete, thirteen of which were placed for sale at the Hudson’s Bay Company. On 12 December 1958, The Bay announced the “the first showing of a new Eskimo [sic] handicraft — stone engravings made in the Arctic by carvers. With these, using two colours, the artist produces sensitive pictures of bird and animal life in the North.” (Winnipeg Free Press, 11 Dec 1958, p. 9).

Sandra Barz notes that the experimental collection produced numerous variations and, indeed, Running Caribou exists in at least two states. The present version shows Kananginak’s caribou in rhythmic stride, silhouetted against the luminous circle of a pale moon or sun and the expanse of a clear blue sky. Another version is nearly identical but adds a horizon line, leaving the lower quadrant uninked.

ND