University of Alberta Museums Search

Caribou are an important part of traditional Inuit life. Their seasonal migration through the inland arctic landscape dictates the hunting patterns of many communities. Most, if not all parts of the caribou were used for essential food, clothes, tools, and shelter. Pitseolak Ashoona spent over 50 years travelling through the Arctic with her family by foot, seal-skin boats, or dog-team sleds. This experience allowed her to form a deep knowledge and understanding of the landscape and its resources. Before Ashoona moved to permanent settlement at Cape Dorset, Nunavut she spent much of her time sewing animal-hide items for her family. It was through sewing that she became a first-generation artist with the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative and developed into a self-taught artist in drawing, which she is best known for today.