Of all the attributes of the Inuit shaman, perhaps the most impressive was the ability to fly. Shamans might fly in human form, sprout wings, or perhaps even transform themselves into birds. In this striking sculpture Iksiktaaryuk presents us with a shaman kitted out with a formidable talisman belt, his arms transformed into wings raised aloft as he prepares to take flight. Inuit shamans did not generally wear special costumes, but they did don special belts and headbands on important occasions and to distinguish themselves from other folk. [1] Suspended from a shaman’s belt might be bones, teeth, and other animal parts, scraps of clothing, and carved amulets. For examples of how the carved amulets might have looked see a spectacular set of shaman’s amulets carved by Barnabus Arnasungaaq (First Arts, 4 December 2023, Lot 147). Each one of these objects, whether gathered or created, was invested with its own magic and power. Luke Iksiktaaryuk had the uncanny knack for imbuing his sculptures with similar magical intensity.

1. Jean Blodgett, The Coming and Going of the Shaman: Eskimo Shamanism and Art, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1978), p. 155. For illustrations of various shamanic paraphernalia including belts see pp. 161-177 in that catalogue. And see images of Iksiktaaryuk shamans flying and/or wearing belts, pp. 29, 98-99, 127.

References: For larger versions of a winged shaman by Iksiktaaryuk in the Winnipeg Art Gallery Collection, see Ingo Hessel, Inuit Art: An Introduction, (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre / New York: Harry Abrams / London: British Museum Press, 1998), pl. 85, p. 107; and Jean Blodgett, The Coming and Going of the Shaman: Eskimo Shamanism and Art, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1978), cat. 1, p. 29, and cat. 50, pp. 98-99. See three examples in Norman Zepp, Pure Vision: The Keewatin Spirit, (Regina: Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery, 1986), pp. 58 and 137-139. See also Walker’s Auctions, 25 May 2016, Lot 47. See Gerald McMaster, ed., Inuit Modern: The Samuel and Esther Sarick Collection, (Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 2010), p. 133.