LUKE ANGUHADLUQ (1895-1982) QAMANI’TUAQ (BAKER LAKE)

Distinguished by Anguhadluq’s distinctive later drawing style with the generous swirls of vibrant colours in pencil crayon that the artist employed to realize his vision, this work presents an enigmatic scene that includes a hybrid caribou-shaman. Jean Blodgett notes that Anguhadluq sometimes portrayed hunters carrying parts of their catches, like caribou heads, in a way that makes them appear as if they have grown antlers, but she also acknowledges that other images clearly depict transformations. [1] This classic image surely presents the latter. It may be that the shaman is attempting to save the family’s potential catch from the predations of two wolves.