Joe Talirunili carved his first Migration Boat (in the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts collection) in late 1964. Other early examples include one from c. 1965-66 in the Twomey Collection at the WAG, another the TD Bank Collection, and a fine large one from c. 1966 sold at First Arts in December 2020 (Lot 32). Based on its style and workmanship, we feel that Three Hunters in a Canoe dates from not long after the latter example, from 1967 or 1968, and it is clearly contemporaneous with a somewhat larger Boat with Hunters and Dogs sold at Walker’s Auctions in May 2018 (Lot 55). This artist’s depictions of very small watercraft are quite rare.

Three Hunters in a Canoe is a lovely and almost delicately carved little sculpture. The forms of the canoe and the figures themselves are crisply delineated, and each hunter is given his own space. The sense of forward movement is nicely implied, but it’s certainly not the frenzied paddling of a Migration scene. This work, and similar examples, do not relate directly to Talirunili’s recorded marine adventures, although according to Marybelle Myers, possibly every boat trip was an adventure for Talirunili, “He was always smashing his boat but would survive the disaster, find another boat, and make the most of it. Invincible, he always came out a hero – of sorts” [1]. 

Clearly this sculpture does not depict a disaster. There are no weapons on board the canoe, so it may not even illustrate a hunting trip, but rather simply an excursion. In any case, we wish Joe and his companions an enjoyable (and safe) adventure.

1. Marybelle Myers, Joe Talirunili: a grace beyond the reach of art, 1977, p. 5.