The floe edge, where the open sea meets the frozen sea, is an important hunting area in the spring. The Creature at the floe edge points out the necessity of needing a “third eye” to know when it is safe to travel on the ice and 2 mouths to warn everyone about the dangers of traversing the ice.

Qavavau Manumie: “Hunting for seal, narwal, whale and other things from the sea is a very important part of Inuit culture. We know about the animals in the sea and we respect them, those animals have helped the Inuit people to survive for thousands of years. I want to share the traditions of hunting through my drawings, the way that was done then and the ways that we do it now, and how we still respect what the animals in the sea have given us."

The artist raises the awarenes of the depletion of the ozone layer, the shield that protects the earth from harmful levels of ultraviolet radiation, which reached an unprecedented level over large parts of the Arctic in the spring of 2011. Although the ozone hole closed, it re-occurred even stronger in 2020. “The Arctic stratosphere continues to be vulnerable to ozone-depleting substances linked to human activities,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas in 2020. (WMO website, 1. May 2020)

Sedna, mother of all the sea mammals, is supporting and helping to balance the boat as the sea ice melts. Spirits, humans and animals find themselves in the same boat, alluding to our present situation, not only regarding migration, but also to our shared climate challenges.

Polar Bears spend most of their time hunting (mainly seals) on the sea ice. In the Arctic, the temperatures are rising twice as fast as the rest of the world, as a result their habitat is melting. “Climate change is impacting Arctic marine ecosystems. It’s impacting a wide variety of species and we are not just talking about potentially losing polar bears, but about losing a whole ecosystem that is dependent on sea ice,”explains [Evan] Richardson. (https://science.gc.ca/eic/site/063.nsf/eng/98181.html)

Climate change and pollution are central themes in the work of the artist Bill Nasogaluak.

POPS, persistent organic pollutants, such as pesticides, insecticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) are found all over the world. Because they are transported by the wind and water, they were even found in the Arctic, as early as the the 1970s and 1980s, far from their origin and are present in the food chain of the Arctic inhabitants, both humans and wildlife, causing weakening of the immune system, an increased risk of tumours and abnormalities, for example, pseudohermaphroditism in female polar bears (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9813850/), to name a few. Due to the UN "Stockholm Convention“ in 2001, a slight decrease in pollutants has been noted in recent years. However, the melting of of snow and ice, as well as, the thawing of the permafrost, release contaminates accumulated over decades. (https://www.thearcticinstitute.org/persistent-organic-pollutants-pops-in-the-arctic/)

Sedna is pensive wondering what the world will look like for our future generations?

Mattijusi Iyaituk is depicting Sedna as a mother who is praying for our survival.

Bill Nasogakuak: «When I was young the jellyfish were only as big as my thumbnail, now they are as big as my hand. The water [Beaufort Sea] has become so much warmer just in my lifetime.“. The water has gotten warmer and the jellyfish once the size of a thumbnail have grown. Sedna has been poisoned by the polluted water, thus her red eyes and captured by a huge jellyfish.

Keepers of the knowledge, who knew how to survive in the Arctic by observing and using their combined experiences to conduct critical comparative analyses and proceeding empirically to optimise results. They pass on their traditional knowledge orally.

This composition portrays our place in the world. The human face is surrounded by the air, the land and water, represented by the birds, bear, narwhale and walrus. The prominent drumming Shaman is the mediator between the human and spirit world. The mask represents a tool sometime used by the Shaman so that he/she won’t be distracted while interceding on the behalf of the humans.

Angakkuq/Shaman (male or female) is a mediator between the human world and the spirit world. Before Christianity arrived in the 1900s, shamans were also doctors, healers and advisors to the Inuit.They often had helping spirits - tuurngait. Great shamans could fly through the air to other communities, ilimmaqtuqtuq and journey up to the realm of the heavens, pavungaaqtuq and also descend into the underworld, nakkanniq. The Angakkuit organised feasts and seasonal rituals, for the winter solstice, for example. They channeled bad feelings and thoughts in the community, helping people follow the path of the sun to avoid danger and illness. (http://www.tradition-orale.ca/english/credits.html)

The Inuit have no obligation to obey the judgments set forth by the leaders, and it is considered completely justified to disagree with them. However, the majority of the time, decisions made by the leaders are respected because they usually have the elders’ teachings and the best interests of the community in mind. Simon Tookoome’s print, Decision [made] by the Group, clearly illustrates this point. Inuit faces are shown surrounding two central faces in this image, which are face-to-face and inscribed in a circle. These dominant faces can be interpreted as being the leaders of this Inuit community. The circular composition conveys the idea that decisions for the Inuit community are made by the community as a whole and that they have an effect on all of its members, even the dogs that are seen at far right and left in this image. (Social Hierarchy and Societal Roles among the Inuit People by Caitlin Amborski and Erin Miller)

This stone cut is a depiction of Inuit life. Besides hunting sea mammals (whales, walruses and seals), using every part possible for food, heat, light, and clothing, caribou (Rangifer tarandus) are an important addition to the Inuit diet. They also provide clothing, and material to make a variety of useful items, such as hunting equipment (knives, fish hooks, bows …), tools (harnesses, cutlery, needles ...) and even toys. Domesticated caribou are called reindeer.