Carved in the compact, weighty manner associated with early Inukjuak sculpture, Nastapoka’s seated woman seems almost gathered into the broad, swelling folds of her amauti. The stone is full and rounded, with shoulders, sleeves and knees pressed into a single substantial mass. In her hands she holds a small ivory implement, probably a tending stick for a qulliq, the stone lamp that was central to warmth, light and domestic life.

Against these smooth, substantial surfaces, Nastapoka introduces a series of fine incisions. Strands of hair, the small features of the face, and seams and details of the clothing are scratched delicately into the stone. Their slender lines sharpen the sense of touch and texture, setting the fine scoring of the surface against the sculpture’s soft, solid volume.