One of Osuitok’s ancestors, Ohotok, was considered to have been a great shaman, and in 1970 Osuitok told Dorothy Eber that as a young man he had known many men and women who were, or had been, shamans. [1] In conversation with Jean Blodgett, Osuitok also recalled that as a young man out hunting with his father, “he saw three seals turning into humans. ‘I know it’s not just a fairy-tale story that animals can turn half-people. I’ve actually seen it happen.’” He also shared that he had heard that his own father had been seen as an animal. [2]

These comments put quite an interesting perspective on this remarkable sculpture by the artist. Blodgett’s description of Shaman (which, along with the illustration is on p. 47 of her article on Osuitok in Alma Houston’s book) is quite extensive. She mentions the shaman’s hands transforming into narwhal heads; his tusk-like teeth; the harpoon head jutting from the top of the shaman’s head; and his facial markings that resemble women’s tattoos but, according to Osuitok, are purely decorative.

The shaman’s tusk-like teeth, the harpoon head, and the “tattoos” all speak to the supernatural powers of shamans, and this shaman in particular. Carved animal teeth were often used in shamanic performances; here they echo the actual tusks of the two narwhals. The harpoon head also visually echoes the animals’ tusks – but more than this, it refers to the traditional weapon used to hunt narwhals and other marine mammals, as well as the shamanic feat of spearing oneself without injury. The facial markings, if not signs of female beauty, might then be seen as symbols of the shaman’s power of transformation.

Interestingly but probably coincidentally, the overall look and even the construction of this sculpture also reminds us of the inunnguaq, a type of very human-like stone figure often mistakenly referred to as an inukshuk (the more general term for Inuit stone structures). Osuitok was a close friend and cultural informant to Norman Hallendy, who has written extensively on the subject. [3]

To our eyes, Osuitok’s Shaman is not so much an image of shamanic transformation, but rather one of shamanic control. This shaman, outfitted with his tusks, harpoon, and facial markings, seems to be performing at a séance for an audience that includes us. It feels as he is summoning or conjuring up the animals; the two narwhal heads look almost like large hand puppets. The image is marvellously theatrical but also ruggedly powerful and offers us a rare glimpse into another aspect of Osuitok’s brilliant mind.

1. See Dorothy Harley Eber, “Talking with the Artists” in Canadian Museum of Civilization, In The Shadow Of The Sun: Perspectives On Contemporary Native Art (Hull, QC: Canadian Museum of Civilization, 1993:425-442), p. 436.

2. Jean Blodgett, “Osuitok Ipeelee” in Alma Houston, ed., Inuit Art: An Anthology (Watson & Dwyer, 1988:42-55), p. 46.