ᑲᔪHᐃᐅᑎHᐃᒪᔭᑦᑲ | Kajuhiutihimajatka (What I’m Carrying On)

I grew up hearing tales of a legendary Inuit hero named Kiviuq. My ningiuq grandmother was well known for her narrative style and visual storytelling, often recounting Kiviuq’s adventures. As an adult I realized that nearly all of these stories entailed a dimension of violence against women. In one legend, The Fox Wife, Kiviuq coerces a beautiful fox into marriage. When she escapes, he pursues her, wanting to keep her as his wife.

My interest lies in taking the traditional narratives I heard as a child and constructing alternate stories that provide a glimpse of what the female characters would be like if they had independence. In a more equitable, feminist society, when the fox-wife leaves Kiviuq, he respects her decision and they are able to move on with their individual lives. Her own full story would begin.

During its creation, Tiriganiaq became somewhat of a self-portrait. I used myself as a visual reference and thought of the many times I had to assert myself as a priority and the decisions I have made to leave relationships that were not right for me. My hope for women is that personal fulfilment and individuality are possible at every stage of life, in every culture.

– Gayle Uyagaqi Kabloona

From left to right:

Kiviuq Narrative, circa 1980
Wool duffel and felt, cotton embroidery floss
Gift of the Class of 1960, MAC FACS, in memory of Professor Gordon Couling, 1987
University of Guelph Collection at the Art Gallery of Guelph

Caribou Spirit Woman, circa 1997
Wool duffel and felt, cotton embroidery floss
Purchased with funds raised by the Art Centre Volunteers and with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts Acquisition Assistance Program, 1998
Macdonald Stewart Art Centre Collection at the Art Gallery of Guelph

From left to right:

Woman with Hair Ornaments, circa 1972
Coloured pencil on paper
Purchased with funds donated by Blount Canada Ltd., with assistance from the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Citizenship and Culture, 1980
Macdonald Stewart Art Centre Collection at the Art Gallery of Guelph

Lluiliagmiut People, 1978
Coloured pencil on paper
Purchased with funds donated by Blount Canada Ltd., 1980
Macdonald Stewart Art Centre Collection at the Art Gallery of Guelph

From left to right:

Legend, 1978
Graphite and coloured pencil on paper
Purchased with funds donated by Blount Canada Ltd., with assistance from Wintario, 1980
Macdonald Stewart Art Centre Collection at the Art Gallery of Guelph

Eaten by Cannibals, 1973
Graphite and coloured pencil on paper
Purchased with funds donated by Blount Canada Ltd., with assistance from the Ontario Government through the Ministry of Citizenship and Culture, 1980
Macdonald Stewart Art Centre Collection at the Art Gallery of Guelph

Kiviuq’s Mother-in-Law Kills her Daughter and Pretends to be the Daughter When Kiviuq Returns, 1978
Graphite and coloured pencil on paper
Purchased with funds donated by Blount Canada Ltd., with assistance from Wintario, 1980
Macdonald Stewart Art Centre Collection at the Art Gallery of Guelph

Encountering the drawings and prints of Qamani’tuaq (Baker Lake) artist Luke Anguhadluk, Gayle Uyagaqi Kabloona was inspired by his use of coloured pencil, graphite, and ink to represent detailed expressive faces. Reflecting a similar perspective and iconography, Anaanatsiarlu ammalu ataatatsiarlu niuvirviliaqtut piqsirniaqqaaqtinnagu depicts the faces of her grandfather and grandmother.

While Inuit women were traditionally tattooed with needles made of bone or sinew soaked in suet to mark milestones and accomplishments, the millennia-old practice was prohibited by missionaries who arrived in the Arctic about 100 years ago, as well as by the residential schools that generations of Inuit were subsequently forced to attend. As a result, images of traditional markings are generally associated with depictions of older women, as younger women would be persecuted if they engaged in the practice. Replicating the same image through block printing, Uyagaqi’s installation speaks to this history as well as to the resurgence and resilience of these traditions today.

From left to right:

Kalikuk, 1987
Cotton, bias tape, and rick rack
Courtesy of Cheryl Kabloona, from the Kabloona Family Collection

Gayle’s Custom Parka, 2014
Wool duffel, dyed fox fur, dyed sealskin, cotton embroidery floss, and bias tape
Courtesy of Kilikvak Kabloona, from the Kabloona Family Collection