Flight is this shaman’s only form of transportation. As he had no dogs, this is how he went hunting. The head in the shaman’s hand is his helping spirit. (Ullulaq, 1997, in Darlene Coward Wight, Art & Expression of the Netsilik, p. 168.)

On the same page in her Netsilik catalogue, Darlene Wight describes Ullulaq’s detailed personal account of an experience with shamans. It finishes with the sentence: “From that day on, he knew that angakuq [shaman] stories are very true and that they are very powerful.” These words should leave no one in doubt as to the ongoing strength of belief in shamanism and spirits among many older Netsilingmiut, and Judas Ullulaq in particular. This belief not only inspires the imagery of Ullulaq’s art, it also quite literally infuses his sculptures with their magic and potency. Their humour and charm derive from the man himself.

Judging from Ullulaq’s description and what we see in this remarkable sculpture, we think it is safe to assume that the shaman’s power derives from the helping spirit in the form of a smiling head. The shaman and the bird are one and the same. Of necessity, he transforms into a bird to be able to hunt. Ullulaq’s people often wear angst-filled facial expressions, but this shaman is clearly delighted with his good fortune and his abilities. His arms raised in joy mirror the raised wings of the bird at the rear. The bird image is etched onto the denser outer surface of this ancient piece of weathered whale bone.