subject: Inuit Art: How Inuit People Make Sculptures [print this page] To make a stone carving requires allot of skill and experience as well as a steady hand. To make an Inuit carving from someone living in the far North also requires all of these things, plus having a strong perseverance and determination.This is because the process of making a carving does not start with the stone on the table and the knife in hand. On the contrary, for an Inuit to have such a stone to carve with, unlike sculpturers in the south, where supplies and material are readily available at the local store, the Inuit is required to go at least 100 miles from his community by skidoo in the winter time to get the rocks needed. These rocks are generally found in a man made quarry often situated very far from their village.
Like most things Inuit do, this process is very community oriented in the sense that when the rock is fetched, it is shared with all their other fellow artisans in the community once they return.
To go this far from any Northern community in such harsh conditions is always a risk. There have been many deaths by Inuit in doing so. White outs and blizzards often occur, and you can easily lose your sense of direction and tracks if you are not careful. Also a mechanical breakdown always poses as a strong threat to anyone going out.
This is part of the intrigue and fascination for people who acquire these Inuit sculptures. People who have never been to the Arctic often wonder what it is like to live there. To have an Inuit sculpture, partially tells the story. Everything in the Arctic is hard and to survive, one must be somewhat resourceful. Unlike the Western culture that exists in the south, the Inuit sculpture revolves around sharing with others, and helping others out as though they were their own brother or sister. To survive in the Arctic, such behaviour is necessary.
If you enjoyed what you read and would like to see more carvings made by the Inuit, please visit Inuit Art Gallery Inuit Gifts. It is here that you can find very fine Inuit sculptures acquire for an honest and fair price, directly from the Inuit artists' hands in northern Canada.
