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Eli Weetaluktuk

Biography

Eli Weetaluktuk was one of the first of the modern Inuit carvers in Inukjuak, QC. Until his death in 1958, he created an impressive body of work with is two brothers Sarollie and Simoeonie.


As the owner of a Peterhead boat, they were able to hunt walrus for ivory, resulting in some of the first integration of ivory in Inuit artwork [1]. As well as incorporating walrus ivory in his sculptures to create tools for his sculptures of people, he used it for their eyes or lips. He would also use unconventional material like melted phonograph records to create a black inlay on the stone [2]. During this time, Weetaluktuk worked with traditional carving techniques, using a hatchet to cut the stone to create the detail on the green marble serpentine stone collected from the newly found quarry of Sungauyak. Weetaluktuk produced clear sculptures, which emphasized the beautiful and glossy stone.  



This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada.
Ce projet est financé en partie par le gouvernement du Canada.

Vivant dans un camp situé à 40 kilomètres au sud d’Inukjuak (Québec), Eli Weetaluktuk et ses deux frères ont commencé à créer des sculptures sur pierre au début des années 1950, après que le poste de la Compagnie de la Baie d’Hudson à Inukjuak eut commencé à acheter des sculptures pour les exporter vers les marchés du Sud. Chasseurs, Weetaluktuk et sa fratrie récoltaient des morses et utilisaient l’ivoire pour produire ce qui est largement considéré comme faisant partie des premiers exemples d’incrustation en ivoire dans la sculpture inuite. Cette expérimentation s’est étendue à d’autres matériaux novateurs, tels que les disques de phonographe fondus, utilisés par l’artiste pour orner ses sculptures de tunniit et d’autres motifs. Les œuvres de Weetaluktuk font partie des collections du Musée des beaux-arts du Canada, du Musée des beaux-arts de Winnipeg (Manitoba) et de la galerie d’art de l’Université Carleton à Ottawa (Ontario), parmi tant d’autres.
ᑕᒻᒫᕐᕕᒻᒥᐅᑕᖅ ᓇᔪᕐᕕᖓ 40 ᑭᓚᒦᑕ ᐃᓄᒡᔪᐊᖅ ᑯᐱᒃ, ᐃᓕ ᕕᑕᓗᒃᑐᖅ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᒪᕐᕉᒃ ᐊᓂᖏᒃ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᖅᐸᓪᓕᐊᓚᐅᖅᑐᑦ 1950 ᐱᒋᐊᓕᓵᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᓂᐅᕕᕐᕕᒃ ᓂᐅᕕᖅᐸᓪᓕᐊᓕᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᒐᓂᒃ ᐊᐅᓪᓚᖅᑎᑕᐅᓂᐊᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᖃᓪᓗᓈᑦ ᓄᓇᖓᓐᓄᑦ. ᐊᓯᕙᖅᑎᐅᓪᓗᓂ, ᕕᑕᓗᒃᑐᖅ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᓚᖏᑦ ᐊᖑᓇᓱᒃᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐊᐃᕕᕐᒥᒃ, ᐊᑐᖅᑐᒋᑦ ᑑᒐᖓ ᐃᓱᒪᒋᔭᐅᔪᖅ ᓯᕗᓪᓕᖅᐹᖑᒋᔭᐅᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᐆᑦᑑᑎᒋᔭᖅ ᑑᒑᓄᑦ ᐃᓗᑐᔪᖅ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᒐᖏᓐᓂ. ᑕᒪᓐᓇ ᖃᐅᔨᓴᕈᑕᐅᔪᑦ ᐅᖓᕙᕆᐊᖅᑕᐅᔪᑦ ᐊᓯᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐃᓱᒪᒃᓴᖅᓯᐅᕈᑎᔅᓴᓄᑦ ᐊᑐᖅᑕᐅᔪᓐᓇᖅᑐᓂᒃ, ᐆᑦᑑᑎᒋᓗᒍ ᐊᐅᒃᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᑲᐃᕕᑦᑐᑦ ᓂᐱᓕᐅᕈᑎᑦ, ᐊᑐᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᖅᑎᒧᑦ ᐱᐅᓴᖅᑐᒍ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᒐᖏᑦ ᐃᓐᓃᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᓯᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᕐᓂᓕᕆᓂᕐᒧᑦ. ᕕᑕᓗᒃᑐᖅ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᒐᖏᑦ ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᔪᑦ ᑲᑎᖅᓱᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ ᑕᑯᒐᓐᓈᒐᖃᕐᕕᒃ, ᕕᓂᐲᒃ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᒐᐃᑦ ᑕᑯᒐᓐᓈᒐᖃᕐᕕᒃ ᒫᓂᑐᐸᒥ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑳᕈᑕᓐ ᓯᓚᑦᑐᖅᓴᕐᕕᒃ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᒐᓄᑦ ᑕᑯᒐᓐᓈᒐᖃᕐᕕᒃ ᐋᑐᕙ, ᐋᓐᑎᐅᕆᔫᒥ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᒥᓱᑦ ᐊᓯᖏᓐᓂ.

Artist Work

About Eli Weetaluktuk

Medium:

Sculpture

Artistic Community:

Inukjuak, Nunavik, Inuit Nunangat

Date of Birth:

Artists may have multiple birth years listed as a result of when and where they were born. For example, an artist born in the early twentieth century in a camp outside of a community centre may not know/have known their exact date of birth and identified different years.

1910

Date of Death:

Artists may have multiple dates of death listed as a result of when and where they passed away. Similar to date of birth, an artist may have passed away outside of a community centre or in another community resulting in different dates being recorded.

1958
Public Collection

Carleton University Art Gallery

Edit History

April 11, 2019 Profile edited by Arnaud Lescure
November 15, 2018 Profile added by Danielle Printup