Pitseolak Ashoona
| Pitseolak Ashoona | |
|---|---|
| Born |
ᐱᑦᓯᐅᓛᖅ ᐊᓲᓇ 1904 or 1907 or 1908 |
| Died | 1983 Cape Dorset |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Known for | Drawing, prints |
| Spouse(s) | Ashoona |
| Awards | Order of Canada 1977 |
| Elected | Royal Canadian Academy of Art 1974 |
Pitseolak Ashoona, CM (1904 or 1907 or 1908–1983; Inuktitut syllabics:ᐱᑦᓯᐅᓛᖅ ᐊᓲᓇ) was an Inuit Canadian artist admired for the unpretentious authenticity in her works. She was also a member of the Royal Academy of the Arts.
Pitseolak was born to Timungiak and Oootochie on Nottingham Island in what is now Nunavut. Her name means "sea pigeon" in Inuktitut. She grew up with the traditional life of hunting, gathering and shamans. She was part of one of the last generations of Inuit who grew up with the traditional lifestyles enjoyed by the North American Inuit for centuries.
In 1922 (or 1923), Pitseolak married Ashoona, a hunter, in the Foxe Peninsula of Baffin Island. They had 17 children, though only six (Namoonie, Qaqaq, Kumwartok, Kiugak, Napachie, and Ottochie) lived with Pitseolak until adulthood. Some died in childhood, and others were adopted out according to custom, and raised by other Inuit families. Pitseolak raised four of the children, Kumwartok, Qaqaq, Kiawak, and daughter Napawchie Pootoogook, herself after her husband died from a viral sickness at the age 40. Years of hardship followed the death of Ashoona, which occurred sometime in the early to mid 1940s. It coincided with the early years of the Second World War and a decline in the market for furs.
The tragic loss of Ashoona would become the catalyst that, over time, lead Pitseolak to become an artist. Making prints eased her loneliness and she described her art as what made her "the happiest since he died". Pitseolak's artwork later enabled her to support her family, and though it was incited by painful circumstances her art reflected mostly positive memories and experiences. As Christine Lalonde notes in Pitseolak Ashoona: Life & Work: "scenes of deprivation and suffering almost never appear in her drawings, though certain images convey sadness and longing" about the passing of Ashoona.
Pitseolak is recognized as one of the first Inuit artists to create autobiographical works. Her art contained images of traditional Inuit life and contributed to the establishment of a modern Inuit art form, one that transmitted traditional knowledge and values while at the same time achieving worldwide popular and commercial success.
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