Born in 1937, Aqjangajuk Shaa began carving as a teenager, and his practice endured—uninterrupted and undiminished—throughout his life. He emerged as one of Cape Dorset’s master carvers, celebrated for his remarkable ability to render Arctic animals such as caribou, bear, and walrus with both grace and intensity. 

This work, a ferocious Lion, presents an unusual subject for the artist but retains the raw energy and monumental presence that define Shaa’s oeuvre. Standing at a towering 26 inches in height and of considerable weight, the sculpture is a masterclass in form and power—its pose a bold expression of vitality, its craftsmanship a testament to Shaa’s skill.

The presence of a lion in Shaa’s portfolio is not as inexplicable as it might seem. Though the animal is geographically distant, lions appear across Inuit art history, shaped by external influences that quietly filtered into northern communities. Books and magazines, Hollywood films flickering on occasional projectors, the regal lion logo of Buckingham Cigarettes, and the ubiquitous Royal Arms and Crest on government documents—each served as an inadvertent touchpoint, a window into a distant “exotic” iconography. Most notably, Shaa’s contemporary and rival Kiugak Ashoona carved lions at least three times during his career, inspired by a 1959 visit to Ottawa, where Parliament’s carved lions and gargoyles left an indelible impression [1]. Shaa’s Lion seems to echo that legacy while asserting its own presence as a singular, powerful statement.

This Lion tilts its head skyward, jaws splayed open in a tremendous roar. It is easy—inevitable, even—to imagine the sheer force of sound that might erupt from its cavernous mouth, a roar to rival the famous MGM lion. This effect is heightened by Shaa’s extraordinary attention to the lion’s teeth: exaggerated, pronounced, and fierce. It’s a detail characteristic of Shaa’s style, which often emphasized virile postures, exaggerated proportions, and heroic scale. The Lion is not simply a sculpture; it is a roar frozen in time, a stone-bound embodiment of power that transcends its subject’s unfamiliar origins.