Cape Dorset Prints

Context

Print making is a commercial art form that was introduced to the Inuit in the late 1950s, but adapts and builds upon a strong graphic tradition that reaches back over a thousand years. For centuries the Inuit have incised designs representing their beliefs in animal and human-like spirits on tools and amulets fashioned from ivory, stone, and musk ox horn. Appliquéd designs on hide and garments created by Inuit women evidence an equally vibrant tradition in sewing.

Like these ancient forms of artistic expression, Inuit prints visually narrate nomadic life illustrating the interplay between spirits, animals, and humans. The primary inspiration of Inuit artists are the animals, birds, and marine life of the Arctic. Other prominent themes include hunting, camp and family life, spirituality, and mythology.

Because the Inuit express a close relationship to the land in their prints, many view them as a window into pre-contact culture and values. Although this is true, these prints are also an expression of the experiences and aesthetics of individual artists who have witnessed profound changes in the second half of the 20^th century. Despite the adoption of features of modern life and southern culture, many Inuit continue to have close ties with the land and consider their relationship to the land as essential to their culture and to their survival as distinct people. 

Additional information

These stonecut prints were purchased for the SFU art collection in the ealy 1970s.