ENNUTSIAK (1893-1967) IQALUIT (FROBISHER BAY) Two Mothers and Children, c. 1959 stone, 2.75 x 3 x 1.5 in (7 x 7.6 x 3.8 cm) inscribed with artist's disc number, "E-7-603". Provenance Private Collection, Canada; Waddington’s Auctions, Nov. 12, 1990, Lot 304a; Acquired from the above by John and Joyce Price Collection, Seattle. Ennutsiak is the most famous and beloved of the first-generation artists to have lived and worked in the Frobisher Bay area on southern Baffin Island. He is best known for his tableau-style depictions of mostly communal activities such as birthing, hunting, kayak-making, and bible reading. Almost always hewn from a single piece of stone, his rustic yet sensitively carved works possess a marvelous folk-art charm. Two Mothers and Children is one of the smallest and most exquisite examples of his work that we have ever seen. Essentially miniature in scale, the scene depicts what are probably two sisters or two friends, each with a child. One woman helps her youngster climb out of her amaut, while the other affectionately nuzzles her infant or toddler. This little sculpture is a delicate and winsome masterpiece. References: For a depiction of a mother kissing her young child by this artist see Maria von Finckenstein ed., Celebrating Inuit Art 1948-1970, (Hull, QC: Canadian Museum of Civilization, 1999), p. 133. For another fine work with a similar theme, Grandmother with Child, see First Arts, 30 Nov. 2021, Lot 22. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

POSSIBLY AISA QUPIRUALU ALASUA (1916-2003) PUVIRNITUQ (POVUNGNITUK) Alighting Goose, 1950s stone, walrus tusk, and graphite, 4 x 4.5 x 2.75 in (10.2 x 11.4 x 7 cm) unsigned. Provenance Canadian Guild of Crafts, Montreal; Acquired from the above by a Private Collection, Ottawa; by descent in the family; Acquired from the above by an Ottawa Collection. James Houston undertook his first buying trip to Puvirnituq in April 1950, and Qupirualu tried his hand at carving right away. A June 1951 article “Eskimo Sculptors” by Houston in The Beaver illustrates an Owl Protecting Nest by “Koopeekoolik”; retitled Angry Owl (by “Kopeekolik”), it also graced the cover of the 1954 government publication Canadian Eskimo Art. That Owl’s outstretched wings and jutting ivory feet certainly resemble those of Alighting Goose, so a case could be made for an attribution to Qupirualu. And as Qupirualu’s Owl is enriched by its ivory eyes, Alighting Goose is rendered quite remarkable for its graceful ivory neck and head. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

POSSIBLY ELIJASSIAPIK (1912-1972) INUKJUAK (PORT HARRISON) Polar Bear, mid 1950s stone and walrus tusk, 3 x 6.5 x 2.25 in (7.6 x 16.5 x 5.7 cm) unsigned. Provenance Collected by a federal government administrator during his travels in the Eastern Arctic in the 1950s; by descent in the family. There has been much discussion regarding the identity of the carver of this fine polar bear, which certainly shows a strong family resemblance to early 1950s works by the great Elijassiapik. [1] While its authorship is uncertain, there is no doubt about the incredible beauty of this sculpture. The combination of the gorgeous marbled green stone used in these years and the brilliant execution of the bear is pure magic. Ivory was used only for the fine set of teeth; we can’t help wondering whether the bear is snarling or smiling. 1. See First Arts, 13 July 2021, Lot 21, and Darlene Wight, Early Masters: Inuit Sculpture 1949-1955, (Winnipeg Art Gallery, 2006), p. 88, and elsewhere. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

UNIDENTIFIED INUIT ARTIST, PROBABLY SALLUIT (SUGLUK) Mother Holding a Child, early or mid 1950s stone, 6 x 3.5 x 3.5 in (15.2 x 8.9 x 8.9 cm) unsigned. Provenance Collected by a federal government administrator during his travels in the Eastern Arctic in the 1950s; by descent in the family. It never ceases to amaze us how some small and seemingly simple and naïve sculptures can exude such emotional and aesthetic power. The mother holds her diminutive youngster (clearly a toddler, not a baby) as if it were a doll. This lends an endearing quality to an image that is otherwise surprisingly monumental and profoundly moving. We love how the woman’s sensitively carved head and face is so beautifully framed by her expansive hood. Stunning. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

JOHNNY PAKARTI QIISIQ (1914-D) KANGIQSUALUJJUAQ (GEORGE RIVER) Standing Woman, mid-late 1950s stone, 11 x 4 x 3.5 in (27.9 x 10.2 x 8.9 cm) inscribed with artist's disc number, "E8 / 998". Provenance Private Collection, Montreal; A Toronto Collection. This slender, captivating Standing Woman from the 1950s is delightfully naïve in execution. Given her manner of dress, we might assume that she hails from Salluit, however she is clearly signed by an artist from the nearby village of Kangiqsujuaq. Carving began somewhat later in Wakeham Bay (as it was known at the time), and the output of works was small. Local artists were likely influenced stylistically by the outpouring of sculpture from Salluit. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

PAUTA SAILA, R.C.A. (1916-2009) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) Dancing Polar Bear, c. 1971-72 white marble, 10.5 x 5.5 x 7 in (26.7 x 14 x 17.8 cm) unsigned. Provenance A Canadian Private Collection; Inuit Gallery of Vancouver; Collection of John and Joyce Price, Seattle. The Andrew Gordon Bay marbles vary somewhat in colour and texture. Pauta’s Dancing Bear is carved from one of the harder, coarser, almost dolomitic types. This particular chunk of stone must have been quite difficult to carve, but its colour and texture suit Pauta’s style and subject matter perfectly. Dancing Bear is a truly extraordinary sculpture: powerful and raw yet beautifully balanced and almost delicate in its pose. We also love the matte finish which further accentuates the sense of rugged “bearness.” Remarkable. References: For a fine larger example of a marble Dancing Bear by Pauta in the Sarick Collection at the Art Gallery of Ontario see Gerald McMaster, ed., Inuit Modern: The Samuel and Esther Sarick Collection, (Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 2010), p. 117. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

ABRAHAM ETUNGAT, R.C.A. (1911-1999) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) Bird of Spring, mid-late 1970s stone, 5.75 x 6.25 x 1.75 in (14.6 x 15.9 x 4.4 cm) signed, "???". Provenance Private Collection, BC. Symbols of rejuvenation and the vitality inherent in the spring season, Abraham Etungat’s trademark “Birds of Spring” are among the most recognizable Kinngait sculptural icons. In this particular version of the well-known motif Etungat's skilled hands transform the stone into a delicate image with heraldic nobility and strength in a rather compact size. The bird’s alert stance and wide and impressive wingspan immediately command our attention. The wings are crisply etched to indicate its feathers, while the body of the bird is smoothed with a high degree of polish. In this example, the stone's rich, mottled green colour, with its subtle variegation of hues, resembles those found in flora, further evoking a sense of growth and renewal. Literature: For other beautiful examples of Etungat birds see Ken Mantel ed., Tuvaq: Inuit Art and the Modern World, (Bristol, U.K.: Sansom & Co., 2010), fig. 210. see Ingo Hessel, Arctic Spirit: Heard Museum, 2006, cat. 68; Jean Blodgett, Selections from the John and Mary Robertson Collection of Inuit Sculpture, (Agnes Etherington Art Centre, 1986) cat. 18; First Arts Auction, May 2019, Lot 34. See also “Abraham Etungat, Master Sculptor” and Evelyn Blakeman, “Etungat at Home: Notes from an interview” in Arts & Culture of the North, Spring 1981, pp. 328-330. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

PAULASSIE POOTOOGOOK (1927-2006) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) Flying Boat, c. late 1980s stone and antler, 2.75 x 7 x 5.5 in (7 x 17.8 x 14 cm) signed, "???? / ???". Provenance Collection of John and Joyce Price, Seattle, WA. Like his brothers Kananginak and Eegyvudluk, Paulassie Pootoogook was a talented artist, creating remarkable, quite detailed sculptures, often “typical” figures of people and animals, but also more unconventional subjects such as airplanes and religious figures. This model-like “portrait” of a vintage Canso Flying Boat shows off this artist’s mastery of mixed media (and his memory!). The details are astonishing, with the body, wings, and tail of the plane meticulously carved from stone, and antler used for the more delicate struts and propellers. A similar use of mixed media is found in his pair of portraits of the famous Canadian country and western musician Tommy Hunter (see G. McMaster, ed., Inuit Modern, AGO, 2010, p. 40). References: For a contemporaneous and similarly beautiful and well-crafted Twin Otter by the artist from the West Baffin Eskimo Co-op Collection see Jean Blodgett In Cape Dorset We Do It This Way: Three Decades of Inuit Printmaking, (Kleinberg ON: McMichael Canadian Art Collection 1991), cat. 46, p. 133. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

JOHN PANGNARK (1920-1980) ARVIAT (ESKIMO POINT) Female Figure, c. 1968-69 stone, 4.75 x 3.5 x 4.25 in (12.1 x 8.9 x 10.8 cm) signed, "??", and signed again "??”; further inscribed, “26013-2”. Provenance Collection of John & Joyce Price, Seattle A sculpture dating from quite early in the artist’s career, probably c. 1968-69, Female Figure is one of those works by Pangnark that seems viewable from two different positions: crouched forward, and upright. Perhaps Pangnark meant the woman to be kneeling, with her capacious hood billowing behind her. But the work is apparently signed on two different “facets,” and a co-op stock number is inscribed on the second “bottom,” which flips the woman onto her back, gazing directly up. Carved alternately with both crisp angularity and sensuous, soft curves, this little masterpiece is small enough to be held in the hand and enjoyed from any aspect, yet it possesses a distinct heft and fullness of form when displayed. References: For a stylistically similar work see Mother and Child from 1969 in Darlene Coward Wight, The Jerry Twomey Collection, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 2003), p. 96; see also Darlene Coward Wight, Creation and Transformation: Defining Moments in Inuit Art, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 2012), cat. 25. For a similarly conceived contemporaneous Figure by Pangnark in the Sarick Collection at the AGO see Gerald McMaster, ed., Inuit Modern: The Samuel and Esther Sarick Collection, (Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 2010), p. 121. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

JOHN TIKTAK, R.C.A. (1916-1981) KANGIQLINIQ (RANKIN INLET) Head, c. 1967 stone, 4.5 x 4.75 x 3 in (11.4 x 12.1 x 7.6 cm) signed, "??". Provenance Purchased at the Rankin Inlet Craft Shop by a Private Collection, Vancouver, in 1968; Walker's Auction, 18 May 2017, Lot 180; Acquired from the above by the present Important Private Collection, Toronto. When we look closely at the faces of Tiktak’s works carved throughout the 1960s, we realize that their styles evolved considerably during that decade. The faces of Tiktak’s earliest works have features that are slight and simplified. By the late 1960s Tiktak was gouging raw facial features with electric drill bits. The most refined heads and faces date from mid-decade. This fine small Head presents a placid, almost mask-like carved face resembling that of a large standing figure once owned by James Houston. [1] The shallow depression around the eyes – looking almost like a reverse pair of snow goggles – accentuates the bulge of the cheeks. The head’s upward tilt, and thus the face’s heavenward gaze, lend a spiritual aspect to the work. 1. Illustrated in Maria von Finckenstein ed., Celebrating Inuit Art 1948-1970, (Hull: Canadian Museum of Civilization, 1999), p. 177. For important depictions of heads by Tiktak see First Arts May 2019 Lot 12 and First Arts 1 Dec. 2020 Lot 16. See also Ingo Hessel Arctic Spirit: Inuit Art from the Albrecht Collection at the Heard Museum, (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre/Phoenix: Heard Museum 2006), p. 136 (also shown in Walker’s Auctions Ottawa Nov. 2015 Lot 51). The Eskimo Art Collection of the Toronto-Dominion Bank, (Toronto 1972), cat. 46. George Swinton Sculpture of the Inuit, (Toronto: M&S 1972/92), figs. 648, 650. Norman Zepp Pure Vision: The Keewatin Spirit, (Regina: Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery 1986), pp. 96-107. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

PETER SEVOGA (1940-2007) QAMANI’TUAQ (BAKER LAKE) Mother and Child, Waving, c. 1970 stone, 9 x 8.5 x 4 in (22.9 x 21.6 x 10.2 cm) signed, "???". Provenance Ex. Coll. John and Mary Robertson; A British Columbia Collection. Exhibited Kingston, Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Queen's University, Selections from The John and Mary Robertson Collection of Inuit Sculpture, 20 July -19 October 1986, cat. 11. Published Jean Blodgett, Selections from The John and Mary Robertson Collection of Inuit Sculpture, (Kingston: Agnes Etherington Art Centre, 1986), cat. 11, p. 32. This gorgeous sculpture is a brilliant example of Peter Sevoga’s early classic style. Recognized as one of the leading lights of the Baker Lake sculptural aesthetic, Sevoga is most famous for his depictions of families; usually rendered as closely huddled, bulky figures, the sculptures beautifully balance considerable mass with surprising delicacy. Mother and Child, Waving is a simpler composition comprising just two figures. Sevoga’s trademark simple forms, with their sensuous curves and volumes, are especially light and airy here, with a special emphasis on dynamic movement. These qualities suit the subject matter: mother and son are perhaps excitedly greeting the father back from a hunting trip, or welcoming relatives to their camp. References: For a contemporaneous and similarly styled graphite drawing by Kenojuak see Marion E. Jackson and Judith M. Nasby, Contemporary Inuit Drawings, (Guelph: Macdonald Stewart Art Centre, 1987), cat. 31, p. 63. For the still definitive study of the artist’s life and work see Jean Blodgett, Kenojuak, (Toronto: Firefly Books / Mintmark Press Ltd., 1985). The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

KENOJUAK ASHEVAK, C.C., R.C.A. (1927-2013) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) Five Birds and One Seal, July 1961 graphite on cerlox bound paper, 18 x 24 in (45.7 x 61 cm) given to the artist and dated by Terry Ryan, "Kenoyuak / 7/61". Provenance A French Collection. Exhibited Maubeuge, FR, Centre culturel de l'Arsen, 40 ans d'Estampes Cape Dorset 1960-2000, 19 May - 4 July 2001, no cat. no, as "Cinq oiseaux et un phoque (Five Birds and Seal)"; 50 ans d'estampe inuit: Cape Dorset, Pangnirtung, Povungnituk, Baker Lake, Holman, 1959-2009, travelling exhibition, Le musée du Dessin et de l'Estampe originale de Gravelines, Gravelines, France, 6 June - 31 August 2009; Centre culturel de l'Arsenal, Maubeuge, FR, 3-18 October 2009, no cat. no, as "Cinq oiseaux et un phoque (Five Birds and Seal)"; Chemins du patrimoine en Finistère, Abbaye de Daoulas, Daoulas, France, Grand Nord Grand Sud : Artistes inuit et aborigènes, 11 May - 28 November 2010, no. cat. no., as "Cinq oiseaux et un phoque (Five Birds and Seal)". Published Claude Baud, Irene Brice, and Michael Jacot, Art Inuit: La Sculpture et l'Estample comtemporaines des Inuit du Canada / Contemporary Sculpture and Print of the Canadian Inuit, (Paris, FR: Fragements Editions, 2006), no cat. no., p. 122, as "Five Birds and Seal"; Claud Baud and Michel Jacot, 40 ans d'estampes Cape Dorset 1960-2000, (sl; Malbodium Museum Edition, 2001), p. 13, as "Cinq oiseaux et un phoque (Five Birds and Seal)"; Claude Baud, et. al, 50 ans d'estampe inuit: Cape Dorset, Pangnirtung, Povungnituk, Baker Lake, Holman, 1959-2009, (Maubauge, FR: Triangle Bleu, 2009), p. 13, as "Five Birds and Seal"; Reproduced in Michel Côté, Martine Millet, Philippe Ifri et Marianne Dilasser, Grand Nord Grand Sud : Artistes inuit et aborigènes, (Morangis, France: Edité par Editions Palantines, 2010), p. 84, as "Cinq oiseaux et un phoque (Five Birds and Seal)" and "L'Igoo Art Esquimau, Douai, inv. 92C2M". In this early drawing by Kenojuak, a highly distinctive owl looks directly at the viewer, surrounded by a jubilant assortment of birds flapping their wings – and incongruously and charmingly, one seal. Despite its lack of wings, the seal flaps its limbs as best it can, exuding the same joyful vitality as its bird counterparts. For their part, the owl and the bird directly above display the kind of flamboyant and festive plumage that Kenojuak’s imagery would become known for. Executed in graphite pencil, Kenojuak’s early drawings give us a compelling glimpse of the artist’s emerging artistic ideas while already displaying the energy found in the later, more vibrantly coloured compositions that would continue to bring her even greater international renown. References: For a contemporaneous and similarly styled graphite drawing by Kenojuak see Marion E. Jackson and Judith M. Nasby, Contemporary Inuit Drawings, (Guelph: Macdonald Stewart Art Centre, 1987), cat. 31, p. 63. For the still definitive study of the artist’s life and work see Jean Blodgett, Kenojuak, (Toronto: Firefly Books / Mintmark Press Ltd., 1985). The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

KENOJUAK ASHEVAK, C.C., R.C.A. (1927-2013) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) Tattooed Sun / Tatooed Sun [1], 1994 #17 Printmaker: QIATSUQ NIVIAQSI (1941-) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) stonecut, 24.5x 26.26 in (62.2 x 66.7 cm) 5/50 title inscribed on print / title in catalogue. Provenance A Toronto Collection. An homage to the life-sustaining sun envisioned as a maternal presence that animates the natural world, Tattooed SunIendered with an elegant and compelling clarity. The face at heart of this arresting graphic commands our attention. A pitch black inked visage with upturned eyes, full cheeks, and a cheerful grin is enlivened with lines of white dots on the cheeks and forehead that represent facial tattoos. A declaration of its identity, these tattoos anthropomorphize the sun as a nurturing matriarch. Encircling this countenance, fiery red rays pulsate outward, their tips accentuated with black. Qiatsuq Niviaqsi's masterful application of inks demands admiration: the colours merge with such vibrancy that they create an optical illusion of movement, as though the red hue radiates with the rhythmic undulation of heat waves. 1. Title inscribed on print / title in catalogue. References: Image reproduced in Leslie Boyd Ryan, et al., Cape Dorset Prints: A Retrospective, (San Francisco: Pomegranate, 2007), p. 268. For the probable preparatory drawing for this print, see Anna Hudson, ?Jocelyn Piirainen, ?& Georgiana Uhlyarik, Tunirrusiangit: Kenojuak Ashevak and Tim Pitsiulak, exh. cat., (Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 2018), no cat. no., p. 59. This sex-differentiated portrayal of the sun may find its roots in a traditional tale where a woman, after unwittingly committing incest with her brother, flees in shame with a lit torch. In the pursuit that follows, the pair ultimately ascend to the heavens, where they are transformed into the sun and the moon, respectively. See The Woman Who Lives in the Sun of 1960 (see First Arts, May 2019, Lot 15), where the solar and feminine are also presented as one. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

PITALOOSIE SAILA, R.C.A. (1942-2021) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) Arctic Madonna, 1980 #32 Printmaker: SAGGIAKTOK SAGGIAKTOK (1932-) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) stonecut and stencil, 24 x 27.5 in (61 x 69.8 cm), framed 43/50 Provenance Collection of John & Joyce Price, Seattle Throughout the Canadian Arctic, the motif of the “mother and child” reign with an enduring charm and allure. Portrayals of the mother and child go beyond idyllic images of maternal love to illuminate the pivotal role of women both in their immediate family and in their communities. In Western art, the mother and child motif conjures images of the Madonna and Christ Child from Christian stories. While the title of this print directly acknowledges this association, in the Arctic, artists—many of whom are mothers— infuse this timeless theme with a secular yet equally sacred quality. In Arctic Madonna, the portrayal extends the theme of motherhood beyond the confines of personal kinship, embracing a broader sense of nurturing and femininity associated with the notion of “mother earth.” Flanking the woman and her child are two young owls that, as described by Pitaloosie, peek out from behind their maternal protector “like shy children” [1]. The colour palette of the print seems to be drawn from the very essence of the land itself, creating a further parallel between the the scene and the life-giving force of nature: the tans and browns mimic the earth, while the soft beiges could be seen as the wide expanses of the tundra. 1. Wight, Creation and Transformation, 2012, p. 138 Reproduced: This image, in addition to being on the cover of Barbara Lipton, Arctic Vision: Art of the Canadian Inuit, (Ottawa: Canadian Arctic Producers with the assistance of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, 1984) is also reproduced in Inuit Arts and Crafts, No. 2, Dec 1984, fig. 86, p. 62; Odette Leroux, Marion E. Jackson and Minnie Aodla Freeman, ed., Inuit Women Artists: Voices from Cape Dorset, (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre / Gatineau: Canadian Museum of Civilization, 1994), p. 170 and in Darlene Coward Wight, Creation and Transformation: Defining Moments in Inuit Art, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 2012), cat., pl. 66, p. 138. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

MANASIE AKPALIAPIK (1955-) IKPIARJUK (ARCTIC BAY) / ONTARIO Bird Shaman, 1990 whalebone and walrus tusk, 18.75 x 6.75 x 12.5 in (47.6 x 17.1 x 31.8 cm) unsigned. Provenance Images Art Gallery, Toronto; Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection, Toronto. Exhibited Winnipeg, Winnipeg Art Gallery, Manasie: The Art of Manasie Akpaliapik, 1990, cat. 49, fig. 5. Verona, Italy, Galleria d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Palazzo Forti, Immaginario Inuit: Arte e Cultura degli Esquimesi Canadesi, 19 March – 9 July 1995; catalogue 107, as Double Vision. Published Darlene Wight, Manasie: The Art of Manasie Akpaliapik, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery), 1990, cat. 49, fig. 5; Palazzo Forti, Immaginario Inuit: Arte e Cultura degli Esquimesi Canadesi, Galleria d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Palazzo Forti, (Palazzo Fort: Verona, Italy, 1995), cat. 107, p. 188, as Double Vision; Harold Seidelman & James Turner, The Inuit Imagination: Arctic Myth and Sculpture, (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre Ltd., 1993), fig. 19, p. 45, as Double Vision.After a restless and rebellious youth, during which time he occasionally carved, Manasie married and started a family, only to have his life turned upside down when his wife and children died tragically in a fire around 1980. He moved from Arctic Bay to Montreal and began carving professionally, learning from artist-friends in that city. After a brief stint back home in Arctic Bay in 1985 he moved to Toronto and began to carve feverishly, encouraged by the gallerist Harold Seidelman. Bird Shaman is one of a group of remarkable sculptures carved in preparation for an important solo exhibition of some fifty works organized by Darlene Wight at the Winnipeg Art Gallery in 1990. In his essay reviewing the Winnipeg Art Gallery solo exhibition of Manasie’s sculpture in the Spring 1991 issue of IAQ, George Swinton insisted that Manasie be discussed as a sculptor first, one who “just happened” to be an Inuk. He wanted us to appreciate Manasie’s art through its “visual form” rather than its “verbal content.” [1] It could be argued that Manasie Akpaliapik captured the essence of Karoo Ashevak’s spirit with his own modernist vision, his inventive use of whale bone, and his brilliant technical skill (see Lot 39), even though Manasie’s personal style is quite different: his figures and faces are naturalistically rendered, and he carves bone as a monolithic material rather than “constructing” figures. [2] While many of Akpaliapik’s sculptures are dramatic and exhibit a high degree of emotional or psychological tension [3], Bird Shaman exemplifies the softer, more serene current that runs through much of his oeuvre. The figure’s face is exquisitely lovely, and even the forms of the more roughly textured, porous bone feel gentle rather than raw. In contemplating this masterpiece, we come back to Swinton’s thoughts. It really matters not whether the figure is male or female, shaman or other human or spirit, carved by an Inuk or not. It is an extraordinary and profound work of art, created by a brilliant and sensitive sculptor of the first order. 1. George Swinton, “The Art of Manasie Akpaliapik: A Review Essay” in Inuit Art Quarterly (Spring 1991:42-45). 2. In her 1990 catalogue Darlene Wight points out that Manasie is an admirer of the whale bone sculpture of Davie Atchealak. 3. See First Arts, 13 July 2021, Lot 7; and Ingo Hessel, Inuit Art: An Introduction (1998), plates 56 and 109. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

PAUL JONES (c. 1847-1927), SKIDEGATE, HAIDA GWAII Model Totem Pole, c. 1900-1920 argillite, 22 x 4 x 3.75 in (55.9 x 10.2 x 9.5 cm) Provenance A Vancouver Collection. This late period Haida argillite model totem pole, c. 1900-1920, is by an identified carver, Paul Jones from Skidegate. At 22 inches in height, this tall pole has a slim and elegant appearance and sits on a wide, thin base with clipped corners. From the top, the bold, deeply carved figures are: an eagle with downturned head and a humanoid face, lightly relief-carved on the wings; a bear holding a salmon in its mouth by the tail; a long-beaked bird, possibly Raven holding a fish in its beak (perhaps a reference to Raven putting salmon in the creeks), its wings densely embroidered with numerous U-forms; an unidentified female (shaman?) with a toothy grin and protruding labret, holding an unknown image; and a bear (possibly Bear Mother) holding a cub in her lap, and with an unknown image between her feet. Steven C. Brown The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

UNIDENTIFIED HAIDA ARTIST Hollow Back Model Totem Pole, c. 1890 argillite, 9.5 x 2.5 x 1.5 in (24.1 x 6.3 x 3.8 cm) unsigned. Provenance Private Collection, Toronto; Estate of the above. This pole has no added base and contains a considerable amount of detail for its height (nine and a half inches tall). The top figure is difficult to identify with certainty, but it appears to be a humanoid mountain goat. It has a short, mammal-like snout and prominent teeth. A pair of short horns lie between the short, mammal-like ears. This figure sits between the ears of the figure below in the manner of a human, with its knees flexed and its arms laid in its lap. In place of human hands, however, are two-toed feet like a goat’s. The next figure down is a composite image made up of a birdlike figure holding a frog in its mouth and a seated human between the wings. However, this “bird” lacks a real beak and instead has a mammal-like snout and ears, a toothy mouth, and wings with a strong joint ovoid and four feathers on each side. The small frog is held in the mouth, draped over the lower jaw with its four legs laid onto the wings of the larger figure. The human image seated between the wings has its knees drawn up, its feet resting on the forehead of the figure below, and its arms held comfortably at its sides. The ears of the bear-like figure at the bottom of the pole contain human-like feet with short, rounded toes pointed down. These feet are associated with the human figure captured in its mouth. The bear’s large tongue is laid on the chest and held in the mouth of the upside-down human figure, whose hands hold the bear’s lower lip on either side of the tongue. The human image is flanked by what may be its wings, indicating the possibility of a raven-human transformation. Like the human, the wings are upside-down, their large ovoid joints at the bottom and feathers pointing upward. The three complex figures on this pole are carved with unusual and imaginative imagery, drawn from the rich history of human and animal interactions recorded in the highly developed visual arts and narrative tales of Northwest Coast oral traditions over many centuries. Steven C. Brown Although unsigned and unmarked, the intricate and interlaced figures of this 19th century argillite pole point to a Skidegate, Haida Gwaii, origin by an as-yet-unidentified master carver. There are six figures depicted, from top: mountain goat, supernatural being (bear-like figure with wings), frog, human, Wasgo, and inverted human with the Wasgo’s tongue entering its mouth. This model likely depicts a particular Haida story. The complexity of the design is especially impressive when one considers that it is only nine-and-a-half inches tall, and each figure is sculpted to be interacting and overlapping with all the others. The pole is hollowed out and has a pleasant taper that is accentuated by a vertical line along the back edge of the pole that demarcates an area that is uncarved. A fine example of 19th century argillite carving. Christopher W. Smith The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

UNIDENTIFIED HAIDA ARTIST Hollow back Model Totem Pole, c. 1900-1910 argillite, 9.75 x 3 x 2.25 in (24.8 x 7.6 x 5.7 cm) unsigned. Provenance Private Collection, BC; Walker's Auctions, Ottawa, November 2014, Lot 158; Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection, Ottawa. This two-figure argillite model totem pole is slightly hollowed out in the back and sits on a thick rectangular base with nicely chamfered edges. The lower figure is a large bear with a broad snout and a wide toothy mouth. It is seated with its legs tucked under while resting against a large flat panel. The top figure is a smaller bear that sits on the ears of the lower figure. Between its legs and feet, this bear holds an unknown sea creature that has textured skin and a small dorsal fin. Steven C. Brown The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

CHARLES EDENSHAW (DAAX’IGANG or TAHAYGEN) (1839-1920), MASSET, HAIDA GWAII Bird Cane, late 19th century wood, mastodon walrus tusk, coin silver, abalone shell, 33 x 4.25 x 2 in (83.8 x 10.8 x 5.1 cm) unsigned. Provenance Douglas Reynolds Gallery, Vancouver, BC; Private Collection, Vancouver, BC; with Equinox Gallery, Vancouver, BC; with Douglas Reynolds Gallery, Vancouver, BC; Private Collection. Exhibited Charles Edenshaw, Vancouver Art Gallery, October 2013 - February 2014 (travelling to the National Gallery of Canada, March - May 2014 and the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, June - September 2014), fig. 211 Published Daina Augaitis and Robin K. Wright,. Charles Edenshaw, (Vancouver: Vancouver Art Gallery / Black Dog Publishing Ltd., 2013), fig. 211, p. 184. Charles Edenshaw (his Haida name Daax’igang) was a prolific maker of canes or walking sticks. He usually selected shafts of wild crabapple or yew, both strong and resilient native woods on the Northwest Coast. Most of his canes, like this one, were carved with a snake that spiraled up the shaft, slithering between the numerous knots where once there had been branches. The snake was carefully planned to wind between these knob shapes effortlessly, its body nearly full as it spiraled upward. A common theme in Euro-American canes is a spiraling snake, and one such cane may have been an inspiration for Daax’igang. At the top of the shaft, just above the head of the snake, a four-sided finial usually appeared, carved and inlaid with iridescent abalone shell. These finials varied in thickness and proportions, some wider or taller than others. Each of the four sides was shaped into interlocking geometric patterns. The taller quadrilateral forms were essentially squares set on the diagonal. Other finials were narrower, about twice or more as wide as they were tall, forming hexagonal lozenge shapes such as those in this example. Above the inlaid finial, a tapered silver ferrule strengthens the joint between the wood shaft and the sculptured ivory handle. The ferrule has an engraved design upon it, featuring a flying bird and flowering plants. At the very top, the long-beaked ivory bird’s head, with abalone-shell inlaid eyes, appears to be in the form of a seagull, based on the naturalistic form of the head and beak. The Haida had a history of seventy or more crest images, among which many were birds, including the seagull. Steven C. Brown Charles Edenshaw (Daax’igang) is a true icon of Haida art. His virtuosic skill in several artistic media is legendary, as was his knowledge of Haida art history. Spanning the end of the 19th and the early 20th centuries, his art career was founded on tradition but was truly innovative. Edenshaw’s output included both monumental and smaller works in support of Haida culture, as well as works for sale such as model poles, canoes, and houses, gold and silver work, figures, chests, bowls, hats, platters, and canes. Edenshaw’s works and his versatility have inspired generations of Haida artists, and represent the gold standard among collectors of Northwest Coast art. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

JESSIE OONARK, O.C., R.C.A (1906-1985) QAMANI'TUAQ (BAKER LAKE) Drawing for "Kiviuk and the Grizzly", c. 1979 coloured pencil on paper, 22 x 30 in (55.9 x 76.2 cm) signed, "??"; extensively inscribed in syllabics. Provenance Collection of John and Joyce Price, Seattle. Exhibited Jessie Oonark: A Retrospective, travelling exh., Winnipeg, MB, Winnipeg Art Gallery, 16 Nov 1986 - 17 Feb 1987; Windsor, ON, Art Gallery of Windsor, 12 April - 17 May 1987; Toronto, ON, Art Gallery of Ontario, 27 June - 6 Sept 1987; Yellowknife, NWT, Price of Wales Norther Heritage Centre, 25 Sept - 6 Nov 1987; Edmonton, AB, The Edmonton Art Gallery, 28 Nov 1987 - 17 Jan 1988; Confederation Centre of the Arts, Charlottetown, PEI, 15 Feb - 20 March 1988, cat. no. 83, as Published Jean Blodgett and Marie Bouchard, Jessie Oonark: A Retrospective, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1986), cat. no. 83, reproduced p. 91, syllabic inscription translated on p. 42-43. Jessie Oonark's striking composition captures a compelling episode from the Qiviuq (Kiviuk) story, a theme often seen in works by artists in Qamani’tuaq and especially by her daughter, Victoria Mamnguqsualuk (see Lot 133) – but seldom in Oonark’s own works. In a departure from her usual concentration on a singular element or figure of a legend when she did depict them, here, Oonark – echoing the style of her early works from the late 1950s and early '60s – forgoes Western artistic conventions, instead offering a scene rich with varied spatial and chronological perspectives. Inclusion of didactic text is, likewise, atypical for Oonark’s work [1]. However, the passage seems to be provided with a somewhat free-spirited disregard for the accompanying visuals [2]. We first see our hero observing the pool of birds at lower right. Moving counterclockwise, the scene shifts indoors to the bear's den, depicted as a snowhouse in profile. Here, Qiviuq is portrayed from the side, brandishing an axe and lunging toward the bear, which is aerially presented in its lair. In the composition's centre, Qiviuq is dynamically rendered in multiple stances, highlighting the intensity of his flight, while the bear's singular depiction serves dual purposes: it represents its role in the chase and also its imminent approach toward the stream. The depiction stops short of showing the grizzly’s attempt to cross or the consequences of its overindulgence. This stream, to the upper right, is shown beginning to bulge, its left boundary line distending to signify its growth at Qiviuq's behest. The narrative then gracefully arcs back to a calm, where Qiviuq resumes his observation of the birds in the water. The story unfolds on a ground that is intensely coloured by Oonark in the orange-pink tones of a blush sunset. The narrative's temporal scope is broadened by the depiction of both day and night within the same frame; daylight is signified by a radiant, yellow sun while the night is conveyed by a slender yellow-orange crescent moon and an array of yellow and blue stars. This drawing, transformed into a print for the 1980 annual graphics catalogue (#9), had its syllabic narrative omitted but the story was presented. 1. It is unclear if the text was, indeed, provided by Oonark herself. See Blodgett / Bouchard, 1986, p. 43. 2. See Jean Blodgett and Marie Bouchard, Jessie Oonark: A Retrospective, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1986), p. 43 References: See Jean Blodgett and Marie Bouchard, Jessie Oonark: A Retrospective (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1986), cat. no. 8 for a drawing of the Kiviuq story by Oonark from c. 1963. See also Qiviuq, 1970 by Luke Anguhadluq, a contemporary of Jessie Oonark and another “First Generation” Qamani’tuaq artist, First Arts, 12 June 2023, Lot 36. Another of Oonark’s daughters, Nancy Pukingrnak Aupaluktuq, has also visited the story of Kiviuq in her imagery. See The Legend Of Kiviuq as Retold In The Drawings Of Nancy Pukirnak Aupaluktuq, (Gatineau, QC: Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, 2006). For other examples with spatial consistency images from the late 1950s / early 1960s, see Untitled (People and Animals), c. 1958-59, First Arts, December 2020, Lot 52 and Untitled (hunting birds at the stone trap), 1968 , illustrated in Marion E. Jackson, Baker Lake Inuit Drawings: A Study in the Evolution of Artistic Self-Consciousness, University of Michigan, PhD Dissertation, 1985, fig. 23. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

MIRIAM NANURLUQ QIYUK (1933-2016) QAMANI'TUAQ (BAKER LAKE) Summer Fishing Camp, 2001 stroud, felt, embroidery floss, and cotton thread, 49.5 x 57.25 in (125.7 x 145.4 cm) signed, "MIRIAM QIYUK". Provenance Marion Scott Gallery, Vancouver; Acquired from the above by John and Joyce Price Collection, Seattle. Exhibited Vancouver, Marion Scott Gallery, Works on Cloth: Imagery by Artists of Baker Lake, Nunavut, July-August 2002, no cat. no Published Marion Scott Gallery, Works on Cloth: Imagery by Artists of Baker Lake, Nunavut, (Vancouver, Marion Scott Gallery, 2002), p. 37 This exceptionally fine work on cloth contains memories of the land that must have been very close to Nanurluq’s heart, for they inspired several versions over the years. Of the three we know of, the first dates from 1988 (see First Arts, 5 Dec. 2022, Lot 101). Shortly after creating the present masterpiece in 2001, she was asked to reprise the image and did so in 2003. [1] Unlike many Baker Lake works on cloth, this lively hanging has little or no symbolic content; it is memory art pure and simple, a wonderful blend of narrative and decorative goals on the part of the artist. Summer Fishing Camp is a brilliant composition packed with vignettes surrounding the main weir fishing narrative. There is much activity: fishing, caribou hunting by kayak, bird hunting with a bola, the cutting and drying of fish, trekking, and visiting. Nanurluq’s use of colour is subtle and lovely against the black background, and her stitchery is masterful and varied; most notable are her trademark loop stiches on the dogs, caribou, and tent, and the fascinating net-like stitchery of the water. Also notable is the way Nanurluq mixes people and animals in action with repetitive displays: swimming fish, dried fish, captured birds, sentinel owls, and late snowflakes and/or early flowers. The result is a rich and simply stunning feast for the eyes. 1. See Ingo Hessel, Arctic Vision, (Vancouver/Phoenix: D&M/Heard Museum, 2006), cat. 118, p. 133. Page 132 in that Albrecht Collection catalogue features extensive commentary by the artist. References: For a discussion of Baker Lake works on cloth (including Miriam Qiyuk) see Katharine W. Fernstrom and Anita E. Jones, Northern Lights: Inuit Textile Art from the Canadian Arctic, (Baltimore: Baltimore Museum of Art, 1994). The artist is also an important stone sculptor; see Lot 70 in this catalogue. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

UNIDENTIFIED INUKJUAK (PORT HARRISON) ARTIST, POSSIBLY CAMP OF AKEEAKTASHUK Hunter with Harpoon and Knife, early 1950s stone, walrus tusk, wood, sinew, and bone, 15.5 x 10.5 x 5 in (39.4 x 26.7 x 12.7 cm), measurements reflect depth without inset tools, with: 8 in (20.3 cm) unsigned. Provenance Ex. Coll. Ernst Roch, Montreal; by descent to a Private Collection, Ontario; Waddington's Auctions, Toronto, 2 May 2011, Lot 134; Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection, Europe. Ernst Roch was internationally recognized as a pioneer of Canadian “International Style” graphic design; he also conceived of and designed the 1974 seminal book Arts of the Eskimo: Prints. This formidable Hunter with Harpoon and Knife is truly impressive in both form and scale. We are immediately struck by his determination and power as he heads out in search of prey. Although well bundled against the elements, one senses the hunter is heavily muscled as well: strong of body and of will. Perhaps the most striking characteristic of this sculpture is the man’s face, which has been exceptionally rendered. Both the stone and the style place this sculpture most assuredly as a work from the very early 1950s in Inukjuak (then referred to as Port Harrison). The early 1950s in Inukjuak were indeed the golden years, with many artists producing sculptural works of a calibre almost unparalleled since. Since most of the early sculptures were unsigned, attributions are often problematic. Historically, perhaps too many early Inukjuak sculptures have been attributed to either Akeeaktashuk or Johnny Inukpuk, both of whom were both important camp leaders and influential artists. Indeed, this piece gives stylistic nods to each. The overall robust yet elegant form of the figure and the copious use of soap inlay strongly suggest Akeeaktashuk’s style, yet the facial characteristics, while superb and positively riveting, suggest another hand. One possible attribution might be to Akeeatashuk’s brother Pilipusie Novalinga (1906-1987). Pilipusi is an artist who, until recently, remained relatively obscure. Sadly, not enough is known about his oeuvre to make a definitive attribution – and too many rush to attribute works to him now that he is better known – but in the end it matters not. While the identity of the artist who created this masterpiece may have been lost to time, the sculpture not only speaks for itself, it SHOUTS! See sections on both Akeeaktashuk and Pilipusi Novalinga in Darlene Coward Wight’s important catalogue, Early Masters: Inuit Sculpture 1949-1955, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 2006), pp. 29-43. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

BARNABUS ARNASUNGAAQ (1924-2017) QAMANI'TUAQ (BAKER LAKE) Muskox, c. 1975 stone and antler, 6 x 9.75 x 4.5 in (15.2 x 24.8 x 11.4 cm) unsigned. Provenance Private Collection, Toronto. While Barnabus Arnasungaaq carved a wide variety of subject matter over his extraordinarily long career, his muskoxen were an oft repeated and beloved subject matter. At times, the popularity of “Barnabus Muskoxen'' vied for the same need evoked by “Pauta Bears.” Arguably, Arnasungaaq perfected his rendering of them in the mid 1970s, giving them an especially gentle demeanour and sensitivity in this decade. This Muskox stands, almost mid-stride, with its head tilted towards the viewer with a sense of curiosity. The delicate facial features, a charming signature of Arnasungaaq’s works, peer out from the stone with the barest hint of a smile. The animal’s shaggy fur is carefully incised into the stone and sweeps back gently in the breeze. We also have a rare addition to this work, in the form of a set of horns separately carved from antler. While Barnabus normally depicted horns as a subtly carved aspect integral to the stone, these horns act almost like a topper, adding a bit of zing to the lovely sculpture. References: For two excellent and probably roughly contemporaneous examples by the artist in the Twomey Collection at the Winnipeg Art Gallery see Bernadette Driscoll, Uumajut: Animal Imagery in Inuit Art, (WAG, 1985) cats. 9 and 10. For similarly impressive examples see Susan Gustavison, Northern Rock: Contemporary Inuit Stone Sculpture, (Kleinburg: McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 1999), cat. 39, p. 123; Ingo Hessel, Inuit Art: An Introduction, (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre / New York: Harry Abrams / London: British Museum Press, 1998), fig. 83, p. 104; Sandra Dyck and Ingo Hessel, Sanattiaqsimajut: Inuit Art from the Carleton University Art Gallery Collection, (Ottawa: Carleton University Art Gallery, 2009), cat. 10, p. 154; See also First Arts Auction, 14 June 2022, Lot 114. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

JOHN PANGNARK (1920-1980) ARVIAT (ESKIMO POINT) Seated Female Figure, c. 1968 stone, 3.75 x 3.5 x 2.75 in (9.5 x 8.9 x 7 cm) apparently unsigned, underside obscured by igloo sticker. Provenance Ex. Coll. John and Mary Robertson, Ottawa; Private Collection, BC. It was with good reason that George Swinton referred to Pangnark as the “Brancusi of the North”; no other Inuit sculptor experimented so much with the calculated semi-abstract interplay of curves, planes, and angles. [1] A masterpiece from the early years of Pangnark’s career (late 1960s), Seated Female Figure is crisply executed and clearly recognizable as such in both its pose and its attributes. In contrast with the forward reaching limbs of the woman, the wonderful bulge of her hood suggests that it holds a child. In profile the figure resembles a jigsaw puzzle piece. This little work is a tremendous sculptural invention. 1. George Swinton, “Memories of Eskimo Point 1967-1979” in Bernadette Driscoll, Eskimo Point/Arviat, (Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1982:13-19), p. 14. For a quite similar work from 1968 see cat 64, p. 89 of the WAG catalogue. For a selection of important works by the artist see the section on Pangnark in Norman Zepp, Pure Vision: The Keewatin Spirit, (Regina: Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery, 1986), pp. 74-85 (note especially cat. 30). For additional works by the artist see Bernadette Driscoll, Eskimo Point/Arviat, (Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1982), which includes George Swinton’s essay “Memories of Eskimo Point 1967-1979.” See also several illustrations in George Swinton, Sculpture of the Inuit, (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1972/92). For several contemporaneous works see Oonark / Pangnark, travelling exhibition catalogue, (Ottawa: National Museum of Man / Canadian Arctic Producers, 1970). The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

ANDY MIKI (1918-1983) ARVIAT (ESKIMO POINT) Standing Animal, c. 1968-70 stone, 9.25 x 4 x 2.25 in (23.5 x 10.2 x 5.7 cm) signed, "??". Provenance Waddington's, Toronto, 26 November 2020, Lot 64; Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection, Ontario. Andy Miki’s small, enigmatic or quirky animal carvings are central to his canon of work. This Standing Animal, carved from a dense stone with subtle details and appendages is no exception. In Miki’s gentle hands, this almost minimalist animal form has movement and even a sense of elegance to the pose. The animal - possibly a siksik (ground squirrel)? - rears up on its hind legs to catch a scent. With its still slight sense of naturalistic form, this charming sculpture likely dates from just after Miki’s move from Whale Cove to Arviat in the late sixties. References: For important works carved while Miki was living in Whale Cove in the mid 1960s see Maria von Finckenstein, editor, Celebrating Inuit Art 1948-1970, (Gatineau: Canadian Museum of Civilization, 1999) p. 153 (Dog) [correct dimensions 34.5 x 10 x 31.5 cm]; Canadian Eskimo Arts Council, Sculpture/Inuit, (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1971) cat. 147 (Caribou Head), also illustrated in George Swinton, Sculpture of the Inuit, (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1972/92) fig. 86, and in Norman Zepp, Pure Vision: The Keewatin Spirit, (Regina: Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery, 1986) cat. 4; Walker’s Auctions, Ottawa, May 2017, Lot 27 (Animal); and Walker’s Auctions, November 2016, Lot 18 (Animal). The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

KENOJUAK ASHEVAK, C.C., R.C.A. (1927-2013) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) Birds From The Sea, 1960 #22 Printmaker: IYOLA KINGWATSIAK (1933-2000) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) stonecut, 19.75 x 24 in (50.2 x 61 cm) 28/50 Provenance Private Collection, Ontario; A Toronto Collection Following the resounding success of Rabbit Eating Seaweed in the inaugural Cape Dorset print catalogue of 1959, the subsequent Kinngait collection featured ten of Kenojuak’s works. Amongst these ten works, which also featured the iconic The Enchanted Owl, the present print, Birds from the Sea, emerged as both a paragon of Kenojuak’s artistic evolution and that which bore the most resemblance to the celebrated Rabbit Eating Seaweed in its enchanting allure. In this captivating work, we encounter a multitude of birds in mid-flight, rendered in a minimalistic yet dynamic fashion that captures the essence of their movements. Three of the avian figures are seamlessly and intricately intertwined, while a solitary bird streaks across the bottom of the sheet, its form swept back in a dynamic display of resilience against the onrush of an invisible gale. A closer contemplation of the forms reveals that these are not mere birds. With a deft hand, Kenojuak depicts their shapes as a fantastical amalgam of kelp and wing. These ethereal entities embody a fusion of organic sea elements and avian grace, giving true meaning to the work's evocative title, Birds from the Sea. The colours of this airborne dance of feathers and foliage are wielded with a master of subtly. The ink is laid by Iyola Kingwatsiak with an understanding of its liquid potential, creating gradations that suggest both the depth of the ocean and other aquatic vistas, as well as interplay of light and shadow—a testament to the ephemeral nature of flight. References: This image is reproduced in Jean Blodgett, Kenojuak, (Toronto: Firefly Books, 1985), fig. 9. For more information on this famous artist see Jean Blodgett, Kenojuak, (Toronto: Firefly Books / Mintmark Press Ltd., 1985); Anna Hudson, ?Jocelyn Piirainen, ?& Georgiana Uhlyarik, Tunirrusiangit: Kenojuak Ashevak and Tim Pitsiulak, exh. cat., (Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 2018); Odette Leroux ed., Inuit Women Artists, (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre / Gatineau: Canadian Museum of Civilization, 1994). The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

EEGYVUDLUK RAGEE (1920-1983) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) Wolf Possessed by Spirits, 1960 #5 Printmaker: LUKTA QIATSUK (1928-2004) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) stonecut, 12 x 24 in (30.5 x 61 cm) 50/50 Provenance Collection of John and Joyce Price, Seattle. Wolf Possessed by Spirits is a striking example of the early Kinngait printmaking practice wherein the draughtsmen would cover a single sheet of paper with an assortment of stand-alone motifs, from which the printer would choose the most compelling image for print production. The graphite original from which this print is derived shows a meticulous preservation of detail by printmaker Lukta Qiatsuk, with the addition of negative spaces that bring clarity and distinction to the creature’s form. It's these subtle details – including breaks between the back leg as well as the ruff and the body, the delineation of back hooves, and two open areas on the frontmost hand – that underscores the expertise involved in selecting and refining the imagery for print. Many of Eegyvudluk’s early compositions feature hybrid human/animal forms, reflecting traditional beliefs in the transformative abilities of shamans and spirits. In the context of the print title, the term “possessed” does not carry the malevolent connotations often associated with the Judeo-Christian understanding of the term. Instead, as Jean Blodgett described, it refers to a world where spirits, far from being strictly entities of their own, are intertwined with all aspects of the world—both animate and inanimate [1]. In this work, a wolf becomes a vessel that bears three human faces, representative of spirits, and human arms and hands extend from the front of its body to exude a potent and powerful presence on the page. 1. Jean Blodgett, In Cape Dorset We Do It This Way, (McMichael, 1991), p. 53. References: This image, along with the graphite drawing from which it is derived, is reproduced in Jean Blodgett, In Cape Dorset We Do It This Way: Three Decades of Inuit Printmaking, (Kleinberg, ON: McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 1991), p. 53 and 52, respectively. For other early works by the artist that contain transformative elements, see Vision of Caribou, 1960 #54, this catalogue, lot 28; Two-Faces Sea Spirit, 1961 #7; and Totem, 1961 #63. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

EEGYVUDLUK RAGEE (1920-1983) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) Vision of Caribou, 1960 #4 Printmaker: LUKTA QIATSUK (1928-2004) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) stonecut and whalebone cut print, 23.5 x 25.5 in (59.7 x 64.8 cm), framed, sight. 28/50 Provenance Collection of John and Joyce Price, Seattle. In this fascinating print, we witness the magical interplay of creatures that seem to dance between the realms of physical and spiritual, echoing the traditional belief in the mutability of human and animal forms, particularly for shamans. The outline of the caribou appears to glide effortlessly across the sheet. Merged within the caribou’s form is a man with seal-like flippers projecting from the back of his head. These appendages are grasped by hands and arms that also transform into hind flippers. The form of this spectral composition is inked in black atop a blue expanse that could be either the vastness of the sky or the depths of the sea. This ambiguous background, possibly crafted through the impression of caribou skin or the press of a piece of whalebone [1], the porosity of either creating a textured surface that seems to twinkle as the white of the sheet peeks through. In this print, as with others from 1960 and 1961, a subtle detail catches the observant viewer: a small 'eye' shape atop the artist’s syllabic signature distinguishes this print as the creation of the female Eegyvudluk Ragee, rather than the make Eegyvudluk Pootoogook. 1. In his Eskimo Prints, (1967), James Houston says that the “background itself is a rubbing taken from Caribou skin” (p. 104). Helga Goetz, however, citing Terry Ryan in The Inuit Print (1977) suggests that the background was “inked with a slab of whalebone” (p. 56). References: This image is reproduced in James A. Houston, Eskimo Prints, (Barre, MA, USA: Barre Publishers, 1967), p. 105 and in Helga Goetz, The Inuit Print, international travelling exhibition, (Ottawa: National Museums of Canada and the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, 1977), pl. 8, p. 56. See Jean Blodgett, In Cape Dorset We Do It This Way: Three Decades of Inuit Printmaking, (Kleinberg, ON: McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 1991), for a discussion of the artists's early graphite works of this period. For other early works by the artist that contain transformative elements, see Wolf Possessed by Spirits, 1960 #5, this catalogue, Lot 27; Two-Faces Sea Spirit, 1961 #7; and Totem, 1961 #63. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

JOE TALIRUNILI (TALIRUNNILIK) (1893 or 1899-1976) PUVIRNITUQ (POVUNGNITUK) Migration Boat, c. 1972-74 stone, hide, wood, and cotton thread, 14 x 14 x 7.75 in (35.6 x 35.6 x 19.7 cm), measurements reflect dimensions with inset paddles signed, "JOE ?????". accompanied by two pictures of the artist carving the present work, framed; also accompanied by a didactic text of the Migration Story, written by the artist in syllabics. Provenance Private Collection, WY, USA; Waddington's, Toronto, 16 September 2020, Lot 34; Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection, Canada. Joe Talirunili’s Migration Boats are among the most famous and highly prized works of Inuit art. His various depictions of a harrowing umiaq journey were all carved in the last dozen years of his life. This fine, impressively large example is made especially noteworthy with the addition of an illustrated text in the artist’s hand, and two photos of Joe carving the sculpture. The exact year of Joe Talirunili’s birth has always been a bit of a mystery. Early community records list it as 1899 but Joe’s own recollections vary considerably. In his own text that accompanies this work he says he “was told” the year was 1906, yet here he gives his age as 79 – which supports the date 1893, often listed as well. We are inclined to go with the earlier dates; 1899, for example, would accord with the birth of his wife Lydia in 1899 and the birth of their daughter Sarah in 1917. If Joe’s memory is correct in his telling below, 1906 was in fact the year of the Migration. This would have been a life-changing adventure which left an indelible impression on him, even if he never quite seemed clear on the details (understandable given that he might have been seven years old at the time). Here is a rare personal account of this remarkable story, written in syllabics and illustrated by the artist to accompany this sculpture: Resident of Puvirnituq, JOE Talirunnilik’s story related to his sculpture. Long ago, I have been told that I was born in the year 1906 in a land called Kuugaaluk and Niaqunnguuq. [1] The caribou hunt would occur in the month of August, lasting to the end of the summer. Then, Inuit spent their time inland until the end of fall; it was when the lake ice had melted and gone that they left their summer spot and moved camp, returning to the sea. This was at a time before the qallunaat [non-Inuit, white people] had moved to Kuujjuaraapik [Great Whale River], because they were actually at a place called Qilalugarsiuvik [Little Whale River] then. Inuit spent the winter closer to the sea and would return inland by winter’s end. It was due to Uqammaq [2] the minister, the one who [came] after the last, that Inuit wished to hear the word of God - Inuit travelled long distances to go to him. Some Inuit who had no belongings or were poor, would go along with those more able and who assisted them as to direction, in terms of food, and being kindly though they may have lacked in provisions. And so during winter 1906 we began a journey to go to the qallunaat. [3] Having begun the voyage in mid-January meant they arrived to the qallunaat in the month of April. They would begin their return trip toward the end of April. On their way back they searched for seals for the making of the qajait [4] and tents. Inuit would travel in groups like this [for long voyages] and they would separate [into their family bands] as they returned to their homelands. We were journeying to our homeland during the month of July. On this day, however, the ice broke and we were lost. There was a sled, and there were 17 Inuit, perhaps, I have forgotten. The construction of a boat was attempted during a whole month while we were surrounded by nothing but ice. The lands called Arviliit [5] appeared as if they were above a strange great sea. There was great movement of ice. I know [from this experience] that God helps those in need. With the boat finished and the weather having become excellent, the leader wanted to pray one morning. During the prayer, thunder came and lightning too. The sun was very warm, there was no wind, completely clear skies. Great booms of noise were suddenly heard and children fled spreading everywhere. It was only because their parents went after them that they returned to their spots. They had been overcome with fear because of the shock. Great amounts of ice that were all together and surrounding them, had broken apart and formed great ice shoves. A route for them was opened; God had divided the ice where it was impossible to divide. In his drawing: ?? ????: The more northerly land. ???? ????: There are Inuit here. ??????: The great land. ??: Land. ??????? ???? ?? ?????: The route that God made in the morning. ??????: Great amounts of ice. ?? ?? ???? ?????? ?????, ?????? ??????? ??? ??????? ????: Then the land is pulling back, it held an understanding just as a living being would comprehend with its mind. [Or: The land is moving away, for it has reason as a living being has reason.] And it was shot by a rifle and quickly they arrived on land. [6] I lived there for two years, and returned in the month of February to Kuujjuaraapik, we did not stop at my former homeland for my family had moved. The place is now called Kuujjuaraapik. Inuit only began to be baptised since 1914, and it was in 1950 that we began sculpting soapstone and up to today. (Signed) Joe Talirunnilik (aged 79 – this one) JOE Talirunnilik 1. Kuugaaluk, “the river that flows much” is just south of Puvirnituq. Joe Talirunnilik and his family were the last to settle in Puvirnituq, having remained at Kuugaaluk until 1960. 2. Edmund James Peck (1850-1924), the Anglican missionary was known as Uqammaq by the Inuit, which meant “he who speaks much.” 3. Where the missionary was. 4. Qajait is the plural of qajaq, which is known as the kayak in English literature. The spelling in Inuktitut of qajaq and qajait follows the Inuktitut orthography. 5. These are a group of islands in Hudson Bay also known as the Ottawa Islands, southwest of Puvirnituq. 6. It was the belief that the land, the island, was preventing them from getting closer. As they paddled, it appeared that the island was pulling away and instead of getting closer to it, it was becoming more distant. To solve the situation, they had to shoot at it with the rifle, and this allowed them to finally arrive to the island after a very long struggle. Translation and footnotes by Lisa Koperqualuk. This fascinating account by the artist provides interesting background information about the transitional culture of Nunavik Inuit in the early 20th century, adds intriguing details of the adventure itself, and gives us insights into Talirunili’s beliefs and his understanding of the events. It’s astonishing to read that Talirunili’s entire clan might undertake a three-month journey simply to hear the “word of God” from an Anglican missionary – although presumably trading would be carried out as well. And on its return journey, the group’s ultimate rescue in the form of a biblical miracle akin to the parting of the Red Sea is further evidence of the high degree of Christian faith and piety practised by the recently converted Inuit of the region, shaping its oral history and thus Talirunili’s own memory and artistic expressions of the event. Joe’s text explains that the group’s return trip by sled was abruptly thwarted by dangerously thin ice, and that they worked for a month to build an umiaq [skin boat] to save themselves. But they were still surrounded by ice, until the leader (Joe’s grandmother Aullajuk) led them in prayer. Aullajuk is the woman standing in the boat, and the rifleman who shoots at the land to keep it from receding is Joe’s father’s brother Amitok. This Migration Boat has several features worthy of mention. The work is one of Joe’s larger examples but contains relatively larger and fewer figures than most. The commanding figure of Aullajuk and also of Amitok the rifleman are carved separately and pegged into place. The artist’s famously energetic and rough-and-ready carving style is apparent not only in a few of the faces but also in several of Joe’s own repairs and the way in which some of the oars are lashed into place rather than fitted. The two photos give a wonderful sense of Talirunili’s home studio (his kitchen table!), his simple tools and the way he used them, and of course the flavour of the man himself. And the neatly written and well-organized text, supplemented with annotated illustration and cartography, offers further evidence of Joe’s artistic vision and mythologizing genius. Also noteworthy is the artist’s signature, which is inscribed on the bow rather than printed on a paper label. References: Talirunili is one of Inuit art’s most celebrated sculptors; his Migration Boats, are widely illustrated. See similar examples by the artist in George Swinton, Sculpture of the Inuit, (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1972/92), fig. 359; Maria von Finckenstein ed., Celebrating Inuit Art 1948-1970, (Hull, QC: Canadian Museum of Civilization, 1999), p. 91; Ingo Hessel, Inuit Art: An Introduction, (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre / New York: Harry Abrams / London: British Museum Press, 1998),fig. 63; Gerald McMaster, ed., Inuit Modern: The Samuel and Esther Sarick Collection, (Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 2010), p. 112; Jean Blodgett, Grasp Tight the Old Ways: Selections from the Klamer Family Collection of Inuit Art, (Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 1983), cat. 137; and several First Arts catalogues including: 28 May 2019, Lot 18; 1 Dec. 2020, Lot 32; and 4 Dec. 2023, Lot 37. Marybelle Myers’ wonderful Joe Talirunili: a grace beyond the reach of art, (Montreal: La Federation des cooperatives du Nouveau-Quebec, 1977) remains the classic introduction to Joe’s work and life. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

BEAU DICK (1955-2017) KWAKWA_KA_'WAKW Ba_k’wa_s (Bookwus) Mask with Articulated Skeletal Figure, 2008 cedar wood, horsehair, cedar bark, hide, metal, and plastic buttons, 33 x 21.5 x 12 in (83.8 x 54.6 x 30.5 cm), measurements reflect dimensions without hair; with, approx: 50 x 26 x 12 in (127 x 66 x 30.5 cm) inscribed, signed, and dated, "FOR FRIENDS / WAYNE + BRIDGET / Beau Dick 2008". Provenance A Private Collection; Seahawk's Auction, Burnaby, BC, 21 November 2010, Lot 142, as "Beau Dick Bukwus Mask with Hamatsa Skeleton Figure on Top"; Acquired from the above by the present Important Private Collection, Pittsburgh, PA. The exceptional quality of Beau Dick's artistry is undoubtedly rooted in his multi-faceted connection and involvement with his Kwakwa_ka_'wakw culture. Initiated as Hamat'sa Dancer himself, the spectacle of the cultural dances besieged and ignited Dick’s imagination, inspiring him to create works marked with a sense of drama. Dick intimately understood that mask making was a vital expression of his culture and that each creation should have the capacity to come alive in the flickering firelight of a potlatch or other ceremonial events. In the present Ba_k’wa_s Mask, the artist has fully harnessed the visceral and palpable energy of these dances, shaping the elements of this almost 3 ft mask with a reverent yet bold hand to create a work that seems to pulse with an eerie vitality. Amidst the diverse array of stylistic expressions found across the Northwest Coast, Dick's mask captures many of archetypal features of Ba_k’wa_s with striking clarity. The eyes are carved with pupils that are round and arresting; the hooked, almost skeletal nose mirrors the fierce beak of a predatory bird; the lips, drawn taut, unveil a menacing and toothy grin. Long, untamed hair frames the mask and both intensifies its feral aspect and acknowledges the hair-covered costumes dancers don when portraying Ba_k’wa_s. The extended eyebrow hairs are possibly Dick's own artistic interpretation of the traditional massive slanting eyebrows that are typical in Ba_k’wa_s masks. They may also serve as an homage to performances, again referencing the elaborate costumes worn while also invoking Ba_k’wa_s's shy disposition, alluding to the gesture of dancers who shield their face with a forearm to portray Ba_k’wa_s's timidity. The skeletal figure affixed atop the mask likely carries a dual significance. Articulated with leather and pins, its macabre form and humanoid skull-knees – which cleverly hinge at the jaws – are reminiscent of other puppet figures crafted by the artist. This may be understood as a reference to Kwakwa_ka_'wakw tradition of puppetry that is intricately linked to their ceremonies of potlatching and the hosting of feasts. It may also be interpreted as a grim tribute to the souls captured by Ba_k’wa_s; those deceived into accepting his treacherous offerings—rotten wood, maggots, snakes, or lizards masquerading as dried salmon. To accept this sinister gift from Ba_k’wa_s is to seal one's destiny, morphing the individual into a ghostly figure, eternally bound to Ba_k’wa_s. Surely amongst the most impressive and significant examples of this subject in his oeuvre, the masterful creation of this large Ba_k’wa_s Mask is a convergence of artistry and tradition. Its fine symmetry and the intricate carving of the deeply recessed folds and other details that cast haunting shadows, heighten its dramatic impact. Its deep, almost blood-like red hues, accented with black – a signature palette of the artist – create a formidable visual intensity. References: For a similar work, see Ba_k’wa_s, 2016 in LaTiesha Fazakas, et. al., Beau Dick: Devoured by Consumerism, (Vancouver: Figure 1 Publishing, 2019), p. 63. See also Bookwus, 2014, in the exhibition Beau Dick: John at Fazakas Gallery, 2021, https://fazakasgallery.com/exhibitions/18/works/artworks-11986-beau-dick-bookwus-2014, Accessed 29 March 2024. For stylistically similar works, see a mask of the ‘companion’ to Ba_k’wa_s, Dzunu??wa (Wild Woman of the Woods), 2007, illustrated in Darrin J. Martens, Beau Dick: Revolutionary Spirit, (Vancouver: Figure.1 Publishing / Whistler: Audain Art Museum, 2018), pl. A, p. 37, also on the book’s cover. For another, earlier example of a Ba_k’wa_s Mask by the artist, see First Arts, 21 March 2024, Lot 7. In the Museum of Anthropology at UBC there is a similarly constructed “puppet”, item no. Nb3.1404 by the artist, which is illustrated in Martens, 2018, pl. B, p. 100-1. See also Beau Dick, Winalagalis (War Spirit) Puppet, 2015, in LaTiesha Fazakas, et. al., 2019, p. 57 and in Martens, 2018, pl. A, p. 97-99. See the section “Puppets” in Martens, 2018, p. 96; see also “Supernatural Treasures” in Audrey Hawthorn, Kwakiutl Art, (Vancouver: Museum of Anthropology, UBC, 1988), pp. 89-93 for additional information on puppets in Kwakwa_ka_'wakw culture. For an early Ba_k’wa_s mask by the artist with two skull ‘rattles’ see LaTiesha Fazakas, et. al., 2019, p. 65. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

NORVAL MORRISSEAU, C.M. (1931-2007) ANISHINAABE Bear, Owl, and Birds, c. 1998 acrylic on Masonite board, 24 x 24 in (61 x 61 cm) signed, "???·?????"; titled in graphite in an unknown hand, verso, "Bear, Owl and Bird"; this work is accompanied by the Certificate of Authenticity and Authenticity Examination Report, issued by Morrisseau Art Consulting Inc. Provenance The artist; Acquired from the above by Gallery 223, Nanaimo, BC, 15 December 2006, accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity signed by Gabe Vadas (POA for the artist); Acquired from the above by Mr Frank Farkas, Vancouver, 27 December 2006, accompanied by a copy of the invoice; Estate of the above. In the pantheon of his many creations, Bear, Owl, and Birds stands as a fine example of Norval Morrisseau’s works from the late 1990s. Dominating the boldly coloured work is an owl, a figure that Morrisseau often summoned into his paintings. With its characteristic large eyes and modest beak, it is one of the few animals that the artist depicted frontally. Below the owl form, we encounter a transformation scene from which the heads of a bear and two birds (one perhaps another owl) emerge. Within this assembly appears a motif the artist used frequently throughout his career: an "x-rayed" form revealing a cyan-blue coloured spiral nestled in the vibrant yellow circle in what is here a shared body. If you’ll forgive the pun: in an interesting twist, this colourful image seems to be composed as if to be viewed as a diamond-shape. This compositional choice may have been done to compel the viewer to literally pivot one’s viewpoint and, perhaps, to consider a broader shift in perception. One might even be tempted to hang it that way! References: For the spiral form in other works, see Norval Morrisseau, Man Changing into Thunderbird, 1977, panels, 1, 3, and 6, Art Gallery of Ontario and Norval Morrisseau, Observations of the Astral World, c. 1994, National Gallery of Canada. See also the prints Loon Family, c. 1976-79 and Thunderbird Spirit, mid-late 1970s. For the frontal owl, see Family of Nature, 1976, illustrated in Lister Sinclair and Jack Pollock, The Art of Norval Morrisseau, (Toronto: Methuen Publications, 1979), p. 133; Shaman in Flight Into the Other Worlds to Bring People Back Information to the People, acrylic on canvas, illustrated in Kinsman Robinson Galleries, Norval Morrisseau, exh. cat., 1991, p. 32; The Shaman’s Dream, 1995, illustrated in Norval Morrisseau: Travels to the House of Invention, (Toronto: Key Porter Books Limited, 1997), no cat. no, frontispiece, unpag. See also the print Group of Owls, 1976. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

RICK RIVET (1949-) SAHTU-MÉTIS, AKLAVIK, NWT / ONTARIO Journey #1, 1985 acrylic on canvas, 69.5 x 48 (176.5 x 121.9 cm) signed, dated, and titled, 'R. Rivet / /85 / "Journey #1"'. Provenance Gallery Gevik, their label affixed verso to the stretcher; Acquired from the above by the Present Private Collection, Toronto. Exhibited Thunder Bay, Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Directions: Recent work by Rick Rivet, 19 December 1991 - 9 February 1992, cat. no. 4 Published Janet Clark & Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Directions: Recent work by Rick Rivet, (Thunder Bay, ON: Thunder Bay Art Gallery, 1992), cat. no. 4, reproduced p. 13. Rick Rivet’s artistic practice and influences draw from many sources, ranging from his own Métis heritage, to shamanism, to various Euro-American artists and Indigenous art movements. Indeed, there is a wealth of different messages and imagery in Rivet’s work. A frequent and repeated theme is journeying, be it Rivet’s own voyage through life, a spiritual passage, or even dreams, with the boat form as a regularly represented vehicle. Journey #1 catches the viewer’s attention with its central, masked figure holding centre stage on a boat that spans the width of the canvas. The voyager is flanked by two paddles, then by large mauve polar direction markers (+ and -). With a blend of abstraction and representation, the boat floats through an erratic world, parading its rider through re-interpretations of text and symbols of various Indigenous peoples. References: For further reading about the artist and his career, see Portia Prieger, "Homage: Rick Rivet" in Galleries West, (Spring 2008), p. 64-7; see also Janet E. Clark and Rick Rivet, Directions: Recent Work by Rick Rivet, (Thunder Bay: Thunder Bay Art Gallery, 1992); see also George Moppett and Rick Rivet, Rick Rivet: Paintings, 2000-2005, (Saskatoon, Mendel Art Gallery, 2006). The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

ARTHUR SHILLING (1941-1986) ANISHINAABE (OJIBWE) Landscape Painting, c. 1980 oil on canvas, 20 x 24 in (50.8 x 61 cm) signed twice, "Shilling". Provenance With Beckett Gallery, Hamilton; Findlay and Maurin Associates, Estate Sale, Toronto, 24 June 2000; Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection, Toronto. Although Arthur Shilling studied art briefly in Toronto, he was primarily self-taught, and it was predominantly on his own that he cultivated his distinctive style, marked by bold, expressionistic brushwork and an electric colour palette. Renowned for his portraiture, this signature approach also rendered his landscape works with remarkable vivacity, as is evidenced in the present lot. In this oil painting, there is an undeniable rhythmic quality to the brushstrokes. Thick, impasto applications of paint add texture and a tangible three-dimensional quality to the surface — seen in the whitecaps of the waves that both physically and visually echo the foaming crests of a lively stream — invite us to focus on the materiality of the paint itself. The composition thrives on the interplay of contrasting daubs and strokes, where saturated, complementary and analogous colours are juxtaposed to instill a sense of vibrancy and movement, enticing the eye to traverse the entire breadth of the canvas. Skillfully placed black and dark tones create a profound backdrop, ensuring that the brighter colours burst forth, significantly enhancing the visual potency of the scene. Shilling's life was tragically cut short at the tender age of 44, yet his artistic legacy continues to resonate. Reflecting on the artist’s impact, Former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien wrote, “Canada [...] will be better off because Arthur Shilling was with us even for a brief period of time” [1]. 1. Jean Chrétien in Arthur Shilling, The Ojibway Dream, (Montreal/Plattsburgh, NY: Tundra Press, 1986), foreword, unpag. References: Shilling was the subject of the 1978 National Film Board short The Beauty of My People. In 1986, a self-penned monograph was published posthumously on the artist entitled The Ojibway Dream, (Montreal/Plattsburgh, NY: Tundra Press, 1986). A collection of Shilling’s later works were the subject of an exhibition at the Art Gallery of Peterborough. See the exhibition catalogue, William Kingfisher et. al, Arthur Shilling: The Final Works, (Peterborough, ON: The Art Gallery of Peterborough, 2016). The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

NELSON TAKKIRUQ (1930-) Uqsuqtuuq (Gjoa Haven) Tattooed Woman Holding Mask, 1988 stone and bone, 21.25 x 11.5 x 12.25 in (54 x 29.2 x 31.1 cm), measurements reflect dimensions with inset tools dated and signed, "1988 / N. ???". Provenance Images Art Gallery, Toronto; Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection, Toronto. Exhibited Winnipeg, Winnipeg Art Gallery, Art & Expression of the Nestilik, December 1997 - April 1998, cat. no. 145. Published Darlene Coward Wight, Art & Expression of the Netsilik, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 2000), cat. no. 145, p. 149. Nelson Takkiruq belonged to the famous triumvirate of Kitikmeot artist-brothers which included Judas Ullulaq (Lot 49) and Charlie Ugyuk (Lot 35). He was, however, adopted out at birth and did not meet his brothers until he was an adult. Nelson and Judas became close and shared a lively sense of humour and positive attitude; they even looked strikingly similar. Takkiruq apparently began carving in the early 1950s, selling small works in bone and antler to local missionaries. He sold work to the local co-op regularly in the 1970s and, influenced by the style and success of Judas (who joined him in Gjoa Haven in 1982), he also became a major sculpting talent, carving right until his death in 1999. [1} The Netsilingmiut of the eastern Kitikmeot region were the last Inuit group to be influenced by Christianity and settled village life. It’s not surprising, therefore, that the currents of shamanism and the supernatural ran deep in the art of this region right through to the end of the 20th century. This impressive tattooed figure probably depicts a dancing and chanting female shaman summoning a helping spirit. The mask-like spirit face is carved from a vertebra whose naturally occurring winged shape suggests that it’s a bird spirit. Like Ullulaq, Takkiruq carved both stone and bone, and enjoyed mixing materials for heightened psychological and aesthetic effect. 1. Darlene Coward Wight, Art & Expression of the Netsilik, (Winnipeg Art Gallery, 2000), p. 148. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

CHARLIE UGYUK (1931-1998) TALOYOAK (SPENCE BAY) Woman Giving Birth, c. 1988 stone, antler, and waxed string, 18.5 x 12.25 x 8.5 in (47 x 31.1 x 21.6 cm) signed, "?? ??". Provenance Images Art Gallery, Toronto; Acquired from the above by the present Toronto Private Collection. Exhibited Winnipeg, Winnipeg Art Gallery, Art & Expression of the Nestilik, December 1997 - April 1998, cat. no. 110 Published Darlene Coward Wight, Art & Expression of the Netsilik, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 2000), cat. no. 110, p. 110. Brother of the Kitikmeot carvers Judas Ullulaq (Lot 49) and Nelson Takkiruq (Lot 34), Charlie Ugyuk lived on the land on the Boothia Peninsula and King William Island until his move to Taloyoak in 1970. He had begun carving already in the mid 1960s and is considered to have been an influence on his brothers, Karoo Ashevak, and others. [1] Ugyuk often worked in a highly realistic style - he is admired for his depictions of falcons and polar bears - but is most famous for his sculptures featuring shamanic and demonic subject matter in the latter half of his career, many of which were decidedly grotesque. Much of his imagery illustrated the conflict between Christianity and shamanism, and was no doubt influenced by his personal demons of alcohol and violence. This remarkable sculpture possesses some of the raw energy of Ugyuk’s demonic works but has none of their grotesque aspects. It is, in fact, a powerful image of female strength and resilience. This Woman Giving Birth is on her own, without a midwife or helpers, and so must cope as best she can. So far so good: the mother has assumed a squatting stance and looks skyward perhaps for added strength and divine encouragement; her infant is alive and wailing, so that is a promising sign. 1. Darlene Coward Wight, Art & Expression of the Netsilik, (Winnipeg Art Gallery, 2000), p. 104. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

UNIDENTIFIED HAIDA ARTIST Haida-Motif Panel Pipe, c. early 1830s argillite, 2.5 x 9 x 1 in (6.3 x 22.9 x 2.5 cm) unsigned. Provenance Private Collection, British Columbia. This small and compact figure group/pipe is tightly composed and minimally pierced, perhaps just functional as a pipe. Some panel pipes occupy the opposite end of a spectrum of compositional styles, being thinner with a great deal more piercing between stretched out figures. Development in this direction took place over at least a decade following the time of this panel pipe. This pipe contains at least eight figures. Left to right, bottom; a bear with its forefeet reaching forward, a frog protruding above its head, and its body tucked beneath what is probably a wolf (longer snout and ears than the bear), its ears and elbows flanking the bowl of the pipe. Below the bear is a human figure facing down, its arms and hands visible on each side of the panel. Its body is flanked by a raven’s wings. A humanoid bird image faces upward behind the pipe bowl, its hands and elbows flanking the pipe bowl, its wings visible on each side of the panel beneath its head and body. A large humanoid figure is shown with its tongue in the beak of a raven, the human’s hands flanking the raven’s head, the bird’s beak pointed up at an angle and the back of its head on the base of the panel. The raven’s wings flow down from the human’s body and along the base of the pipe below the bowl. An unusual bear-like being faces upward at the end of the pipe, its forearms and body supporting the angled head of the raven. The space between this figure’s up-standing ears contains the end of the pipe stem, which is drilled through to the base of the bowl within the intervening figures. The panel includes only minimal flat design areas, on both the bird’s wings, though these flat designs are of an early nineteenth-century style. Steven C. Brown References: For a section on Haida-motif pipes see Peter L. Macnair and Alan J. Hoover, The Magic Leaves: A History of Haida Argillite Carving (Victoria: Royal BC Museum, 1984/2002), pp. 26-38. For a similarly styled pipe see See Leslie Drew and Douglas Wilson, Argillite: Art of the Haida (Vancouver: Hancock House, 1980), p. 144 (Museum für Völkerkunde, Berlin). For similar works categorized as “First Period” see Carol Sheehan, Pipes that won’t Smoke: Coal that won’t Burn: Haida Sculpture in Argillite (Calgary: Glenbow Museum, 1981), p. 139. See also Steven C. Brown, Native Visions: Evolution in Northwest Coast Art from the Eighteenth through the Twentieth Century (Seattle: Seattle Art Museum / Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1998), p. 96; and Bill Holm, The Box of Daylight: Northwest Coast Indian Art (Seattle Art Museum, 1983), p. 104. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

PROBABLY PAUL JONES (c. 1847-1927), SKIDEGATE, HAIDA GWAII Model Totem Pole, c. 1900-1920 argillite, 10 x 2.75 x 2.25 in (25.4 x 7 x 5.7 cm) Provenance A Vancouver Collection. This small but highly detailed model totem pole on a stout base with chamfered edges is probably carved by the same artist as Lot 16 (Paul Jones). The top figure is an eagle with an upright head, folded wings, and tail feathers lightly etched on the back of the figure on the flat back of the pole. The wings and tail are carved with naturalistic feathers and the breast and legs are carved with layered feathers and textured scales respectively. Below the eagle is a raven with a downturned beak and a salmon held in its mouth that partially drapes across the wings. The wings are shaped like and feature the same small rows of feathers as the wings on the Paul Jones pole. Between the wings is a humanoid face with a small beak in place of a nose. The bottom figure is a seated bear mother holding an upright cub as if seated on its lap, with a cut-through space between the cub and the mother’s chest. Steven C. Brown The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

UNIDENTIFIED HAIDA ARTIST Model Totem Pole, c. 1900-1910 argillite, 11 x 2.25 x 2.25 in (27.9 x 5.7 x 5.7 cm) unsigned. Provenance A British Columbia Collection. A short, stout argillite model totem pole with three boldly carved primary figures. The top image, a shark, is sculpted in an unusually active pose, its tall forehead deliberately rotated off to one side. This is perhaps indicative of the anguish associated with the difficulty of quaffing its very large prey, evidently a seal or other large sea mammal, suggested by its highly textured skin surface. Even the shark’s eyes are somewhat oriented to the left, in contrast with the other features of the shark, its pectoral fins, on which the seal’s body rests. These are centered and straight below the shark’s toothy mouth in the manner of the remaining images on the pole. The shark is between the ears of a raven holding a large head-down frog in its beak. The frog is stipple-textured like the seal above, and the raven’s wing feathers appear on each side of the frog, tucked behind the ears of the bear image below. The bear’s tongue extends over its chin, and the exaggeratedly long claws of the forefeet are draped upon its belly. Steven C. Brown References: For the section on argillite late model poles see Peter L. Macnair and Alan J. Hoover, The Magic Leaves: A History of Haida Argillite Carving, (Victoria: Royal BC Museum, 1984/2002), pp. 127-138. See also Leslie Drew and Douglas Wilson, Argillite: Art of the Haida, (Vancouver: Hancock House, 1980), pp. 216-227. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

KAROO ASHEVAK (1940-1974) TALOYOAK (SPENCE BAY) Spirit Figure with Eggs, c. 1972 whale bone, walrus tusk, and stone,23.5 x 6 x 3.5 in (59.7 x 15.2 x 8.9 cm) signed "??". Provenance Lippel Gallery, Montreal; Acquired from the above a Private Collection, Montreal, 7 April 1973, accompanied by a copy of the original receipt; by descent in the family. It is no exaggeration to claim that Karoo Ashevak revolutionized Inuit sculpture. Karoo’s love of materials, tools, and tinkering, his willingness to explore the world of dreams, spirituality and shamanism, and the uninhibited exuberance with which he approached every aspect of his life combined to produce a stream of remarkable “surreal” constructions the likes of which had never been seen before. His work energized Inuit art collectors and attracted crossover collectors as well. In her important study of Karoo’s work, Jean Blodgett explains it this way: “Each sculpture is an integral unit representing a particular being, without reference to specific myths, stories or daily events…The images in Ashevak’s sculpture originate in the general culture and tradition of the Eskimo [sic], but the works are not so specific in reference as to be bound by this ethnic origin…The cultural heritage and consequent meaning strengthen and enrich the images but do not restrict them – the work can speak to those who have no knowledge of the Eskimo or his culture.” [1] Karoo’s ability to communicate psychological, emotional, and spiritual meaning directly to the viewer – and his brilliant imagination and extraordinary skill as a sculptor – continue to make his work unusually compelling. Spirit Figure with Eggs, an impressively tall work from the first half of the artist’s brief career, is a fine example. It may date from as early as 1971 but was likely carved in 1972. It is probably one of Karoo’s first experiments with mismatched eyes; they are the same size but different shapes, and because of the porous nature of the bone face, they are separately made and affixed almost like tiles rather than carved. In contrast, Karoo was able to carve the large nose and mouth quite deeply. We love how the facial expression changes from spooky to comical as one views it from different angles. The asymmetry is even more pronounced in the figure itself: the left shoulder and arm are raised high, and the torso torques to follow the interesting shape of the bone, revealing the width of the space between the legs. The right arm is tucked behind, in low relief against the somewhat denser bone of the backside. Two eggs nestle inside the spirit’s mouth, which makes us wonder if the naturally occurring hole in the base might represent a nest. This of course adds a layer of humour to what is already a compelling and charming work of art. 1. Jean Blodgett, Karoo Ashevak, (Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1977), unpaginated. Jean Blodgett's landmark retrospective show and catalogue Karoo Ashevak, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1977) illustrates ten sculptures from 1972 (cats. 18-27). See also American Indian Arts Center, Karoo Ashevak: Spirits, (New York: American Indian Arts Center, 1973); Gerald McMaster, ed., Inuit Modern: The Samuel and Esther Sarick Collection, (Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 2010), pp. 118-119; Ingo Hessel, Inuit Art: An Introduction, (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre / New York: Harry Abrams / London: British Museum Press, 1998), figs. 89-90, pp. 111-112; First Arts Auction, 12 July 2020, Lot 40, and 5 Dec 2022, Lot 81 The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

RUTH QAULLUARYUK (1932-) QAMANI'TUAQ (BAKER LAKE) Hundreds and Hundreds, Herds of Caribou, 1975 #1 Printmaker: THOMAS SUVAARAQ (1935-1991) QAMANI'TUAQ (BAKER LAKE) stonecut, 25 x 37 in (63.5 x 94 cm). 28/40 Provenance Private Collection, Montreal. Ruth Qaulluaryuk's fellow Baker Lake artist Simon Tookoome describes in words the wondrous scene evoked so beautifully in this print: The caribou used to gather in a very large herd to migrate. You could hear them for two days, walking over the frozen tundra. We would sit where they would pass and wait for them. It would take three to five days and nights for the herd to pass our camp. The land would be all torn up. They were not afraid in such big numbers [1]. Hundreds and Hundreds, Herds of Caribou is itself a wondrously intricate, almost Escher-like image; featured on the cover of the 1975 Baker Lake Annual Print Catalogue, it is one of the most complex and captivating prints ever produced in that community. Qaulluaryuk’s image is spectacular and original; the view of the herd is compressed, as if we were looking through a telephoto lens. But we must also acknowledge the herculean efforts of the printmaker Thomas Suvaaraq who painstakingly cut the stone block and printed the edition. [2] It’s a magnificent achievement. 1. Simon Tookoome with Sheldon Oberman, The Shaman's Nephew: A Life in the Far North, (Toronto: Stoddart, 1999), p. 28. 2. The print catalogue features two photos of Suvaaraq carefully using a piece of antler as a baren to press the ink onto the paper. References: This print, along with Qaulluaryuk's original graphite pencil drawing, is illustrated in the Winnipeg Art Gallery exhibition catalogue Baker Lake Prints and Print Drawings 1970-76, (WAG, 1983), p. 79. The print is also illustrated in Chisel and Brush, (Ottawa: Department of Northern and Indian Affairs, 1986), cat.4, unpaginated. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

JESSIE OONARK, O.C., R.C.A (1906-1985) QAMANI'TUAQ (BAKER LAKE) The People , 1985 #20 Printmaker: MARTHA NOAH (1943-) QAMANI'TUAQ (BAKER LAKE); Cutter / Platemaker: THOMAS IKSIRAQ (1941-1991) QAMANI'TUAQ (BAKER LAKE) stonecut and stencil, 24.25 x 30.25 in (61.6 x 76.8 cm), framed 30/40 Provenance Collection of John and Joyce Price, Seattle. A large and captivating print, to our eye, to stand in front of The People is to be consumed by it. At the centre of the image in blue is a motif that Oonark used frequently in her art: the human face. Unfurling from this smiling countenance are concentric rings of blue and red that spiral outwards and contain between their bands a bevy of human faces with four birds at the bottom and one at the top. This spiral shape is open to interpretation; it might represent the drum dance, an aerial view of a snow house, or perhaps something else entirely. Bristling with precision, the centrifugal patterns of lines and figures create a dizzying display that seems to rotate and before the viewer. There is a feeling of infinity and endlessness to the print, as if the spiral shapes could either expand outward or contract inward indefinitely. It is profoundly fitting, then, that The People, emblematic of her enduring artistic legacy, is one of Oonark’s final creations before her passing in 1985. References: In addition to being on the cover of the 1985 catalogue, The People is also reproduced in Marie Bouchard, Power of Thought: The Prints of Jessie Oonark, exh. cat., (Richmond, VA: Marsh Art Gallery, 2001), p. 59. It is discussed in Canadian Museum of Civilization, ed., In The Shadow Of The Sun : Perspectives On Contemporary Native Art, (Hull, QC: Canadian Museum of Civilization, 1993), p. 524 The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

LUKE ANGUHADLUQ (1895-1982) QAMANI’TUAQ (BAKER LAKE) Drum Dancing, 1975 #23 Printmaker: HATTIE AMIT'NAAQ (1935-) QAMANI'TUAQ (BAKER LAKE) stencil, 22 x 30 in (55.9 x 76.2 cm) 36/50 Provenance Collection of John and Joyce Price, Seattle, WA. This arresting image was extracted from a 1970 coloured pencil drawing by Anguhadluq, in which the drummer is surrounded by a radiating crowd of people. [1] It is, however, a wonderfully striking and iconic print image; the drum is like the sun, taking the drummer for a celestial ride! As Helga Goetz suggests, “Anguhadluq’s brilliant yellow drum is as large as it is loud. The energy expended by the dwarfed figure of the drummer reinforces the power of the drum.” [2] 1. See the original drawing and print in Bernadette Driscoll, Baker Lake Prints & Print-Drawings 1970-76, (Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1983), p. 39. This happened regularly in the early years of Cape Dorset printmaking; see Lot 27. 2. Helga Goetz in The Inuit Print, 1977, p. 227. References: Drum Dancing is reproduced in Helga Goetz, The Inuit Print, international travelling exhibition, (Ottawa: National Museums of Canada and the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, 1977), pl. 136, p. 227. Illustrated alongside Anguhadluq’s larger, original 1970 drawing in Bernadette Driscoll, Baker Lake Prints & Print-Drawings 1970-76, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1983), p. 39. For a further look into the artist’s work, see Cynthia Waye Cook, From the Centre: The Drawings of Luke Anguhadluq, (Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 1993), and Jean Blodgett, Tuu'luq / Anguhadluq: An Exhibition of Works by Marion Tuu'luq and Luke Anguhadluq of Baker Lake, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1976). The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

JOHN KAVIK (1897-1993) KANGIQLINIQ (RANKIN INLET) Standing Man, 1978 stone, 13.5 x 7 x 5.25 in (34.3 x 17.8 x 13.3 cm) unsigned. Provenance Acquired directly from the artist by Stanley and Jean Zazelenchuk, NB, April 1978. Stanley and Jean Zazelenchuk, who lived and worked in Rankin Inlet from 1976 to 1980, were good friends with their neighbour John Kavik and purchased his work in those years when almost no one else would, including the local co-op manager. [1] Stanley Zazelenchuk admitted that he himself had had to get used to the Rankin Inlet carving style (after years spent in Sanikiluaq), but he soon became one of Kavik’s greatest supporters and champions. Standing Figure is a massive sculpture, raw and elemental in its simplicity, yet surprisingly endearing. In its proportions and its charming pose, the work might be perceived as a portrait of a young child, but the figure’s impressive jaw and nose suggest it is likely an adult. Jean Zazelenchuk, remembering Kavik’s impish sense of humour, muses that it might be a self-portrait: Kavik the artist, holding a small carving he is hoping to sell! 1. Stanley Zazelenchuk, “Rankin Inlet, 1976-80” in Rankin Inlet/Kangirlliniq, (Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1981:25-29), p. 26. References: For a Standing Figure by Kavik of similar style and scale see First Arts, 30 Nov. 2021, Lot 40. For a large Mother and Child by the artist, formerly in the Wagonfeld collection, see Survival: Inuit Art, (Loveland, CO: Loveland Museum Gallery, 2004), p. 98, and Walker’s Auctions, Inuit Art: Masterpieces from the Wagonfeld Collection, (May 2016, Lot 26). For the section on John Kavik in Norman Zepp, Pure Vision: The Keewatin Spirit, (Regina: Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery, 1986), see pages 108-119. For an appreciation of the artist and his work see Stanley Zazelenchuk, “Kavik: The Man and the Artist” in Arts & Culture of the North, (Vol. IV, No. 2 Spring 1980), pp. 219-221. For the stunning Father and Son Wearing Snow Goggles, see First Arts, 4 Dec. 2023, Lot 45. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

DAVID IKUTAAQ (1929-1984) QAMANI'TUAQ (BAKER LAKE) Mother with Child in Amaut, c. 1970 stone, 10.5 x 9.25 x 8.25 in (26.7 x 23.5 x 21 cm) signed, "???". Provenance A Montreal Collection. Born five years later than his contemporary Barnabus Arnasungaaq, Ikutaaq sadly predeceased him by thirty-three years. Less prolific than Arnasungaaq, Peter Sevoga, and other peers, Ikutaaq has inexplicably been overlooked in the history of Qamani’tuaq sculpture. This spectacular and voluptuous Mother and Child proves that Ikutaaq deserves to be considered one of the foremost Baker Lake sculptors of his generation. Ikutaaq’s sculptures emanate monumentality even though most were modest in scale. This is perhaps the largest, and indeed the finest and most impressive work by the artist that we have ever seen. References: Several stone sculptures by Ikutaaq are illustrated in George Swinton, Sculpture of the Inuit, (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1972/92) and in the famous Canadian Eskimo Arts Council sponsored international touring exhibition catalogue, Sculpture / Inuit: Masterworks of the Canadian Arctic, (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1971). The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

SILAS QIYUK (1933-2013) OR MIRIAM NANURLUQ QIYUK (1933-2016), QAMANI’TUAQ (BAKER LAKE) Mother Bird with Nesting Fledglings , 1974 stone, 3.75 x 8.75 x 6.5 in (9.5 x 22.2 x 16.5 cm) signed, dated, and inscribed, "S QIYOK / 1974 / BAKER / LAKE / NWT." Provenance Acquired at the Sanavik Co-op, Baker Lake by Stanley and Jean Zazelenchuk, NB, 1974. Exhibited Winnipeg, MB, Winnipeg Art Gallery, The Zazelenchuk Collection of Eskimo Art, August - November 1978, cat. 34, as Birds. Published Winnipeg Art Gallery, The Zazelenchuk Collection of Eskimo Art, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1978), cat. 34, p. 35, as Birds. Both Silas and his wife Miriam carved works commonly known as “Swimming Birds,” probably because they are invariably conceived in low, horizontal formats, some almost in bas-relief. Some examples may depict flying or nesting birds. Here Silas created a rustically carved sculpture with more heft, one that clearly shows chicks clustered in their nest. Any ambiguity is not thematic but conceptual and symbolic: the mother bird’s own body forms the nest; her raised wings wrap the chicks in a protective embrace. References: For other fine examples by the artist see First Arts, 4 Dec. 2023, Lot 121; and Walker’s Auctions, 4 Nov. 2012, Lot 40. For a similar but smaller carving of birds by the artist from 1972 see Winnipeg Art Gallery, The Zazelenchuk Collection of Eskimo Art, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1978), cat. 33, p. 35. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

BILL REID (IIJUWAS), O.B.C., R.C.A. (1920-1998), HAIDA Grizzly Medallion and Chain, 1972 / 1988 the pendant: testing 22 kt gold, 2 x 0.25 x 2 in (5.1 x 0.6 x 5.1 cm), 26 g, signed, "Reid '72"; inscribed with artist's Wasgo (Haida Seawolf); numbered, "5/10"; further inscribed, "22 k". the chain: testing 22 kt gold, 24.25 in (61.6 cm) in length, 36 g, signed and dated, "Reid 88". Provenance Douglas Reynolds Gallery, Vancouver, BC; Acquired from the above by John and Joyce Price, Seattle, WA. Published An edition (this work?) is reproduced in Karen Duffek, Bill Reid: Beyond the Essential Form, (Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 1986), fig. 24, p. 15, as "Gold medallion with chain, Grizzly Bear". The renowned Haida artist Iljuwas Bill Reid is celebrated as among the most significant Northwest Coast Native artists of the twentieth century. He is best known for the revitalization of Haida arts and techniques, and the marriage of modern form and Haida visual heritage from his own ancestry and learned through the deep close study of historic examples. A one-time CBC radio broadcaster, Reid pursued deep training in European jewelry and goldsmithing techniques, including later study that he undertook at the Central School of Design in London in 1968. In 1970, a year after moving to Montreal and founding a jewelry workshop, Reid built on his new training and began using the lost-wax method to produce exquisite pieces such as this Grizzly Medallion, wholly cast in gold. The lost-wax technique allowed Reid to emulate the solidity and sculptural plasticity of Haida monumental carving but on the miniature scale of jewelry. He could thus marry the sculptural accomplishments of Haida crest poles and wooden sculpture, like his familiar Bear Sculpture (c. 1963), with the intimacy of engraved bracelets worn as personal adornment and crest displays, such as those by his great-great-uncle Daxhiigang (Charles Edenshaw, 1839-1920), the master Haida artist whose work Reid greatly emulated. While many of Reid’s early works are direct adaptations of historic examples, including regular recreations of his great-great-uncle’s designs, Grizzly Medallion demonstrates his confidence in marrying classic Haida form with modern innovation. The bear’s face emerges in high relief from the circular medallion, snout overhanging the ribbed rim, a decorative motif that Reid has adapted from argillite dishes by Daxhiigang. The motif is extended here to the sections of the medallion’s intricate chain, linking the wearer to the wide-eyed grizzly through this shared framing, creating an effect of stacked faces in a typically Haida style. Christopher T. Green, PhD References: The Grizzly Medallion and a very similar chain is illustrated in Karen Duffek, Bill Reid: Beyond the Essential Form, (Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 1986), fig. 24, p. 15, as "Gold medallion with chain, Grizzly bear, 1972, (5.1 cm diameter)." It is conceivable that it is this lot but no edition number is given in Duffek’s book. See Mary Ann Lash, “New Life is Given to the Craft of Haida Jewelry,” Canadian Art Magazine, vol. 14, no. 3, Spring 1957, pp. 101-103 for early examples of the artist's works. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

FREDA DIESING (1925-2002) HAIDA, PRINCE RUPERT Portrait Mask, 1986 alder wood, cedar bark, and acrylic paint, 9 x 8 x 5 in (22.9 x 20.3 x 12.7 cm) signed and dated, "FREDA 86". Provenance Private Collection, Philadelphia, PA; A Vancouver Collection. Freda Diesing was one of just a handful of First Nations women carving on the Northwest Coast in the 20th century. Along with artists such as Robert Davidson (b. 1946) and Bill Reid (1920-1998), Diesing was heavily involved in the 1960s and 1970s revival of interest in Haida and other Northwest Coast art. Diesing also attended, and later taught at, the Gitanmaax School of Northwest Coast Indian Art at ‘Ksan in Hazelton, British Columbia. Diesing was a hugely influential teacher and many of her students today are regarded as master artists in their own right. In 2006, three of her former students: Dempsey Bob (Tlingit-Tahltan, b. 1948), Stan Bevan (Tahltan-Tlingit/Tsimshian, b. 1961), and Ken McNeil (b. 1961, Tlingit-Tahltan/Nisga’a), opened the Freda Diesing School of Northwest Coast Art in her honour. This elegant portrait mask reflects Diesing’s mastery of knife techniques in creating a smooth and supple finish without sanding on the surface of the alder wood. The mask is sparingly painted in black and red with carved features whose proportions allude to Gitxsan and Tsimshian influences from Diesing’s time at ‘Ksan. The twisted cedar bark rope framing the mask draws your eye back to the center to meet the mask’s gaze, which emotes a serene and calming expression. Christopher W. Smith References: For examples of masks by Freda Diesing see First Arts, July 12, 2020, Lots 67- 69, and First Arts, 1 Dec. 2020, Lot 115. See also Peter Macnair et al, Down From the Shimmering Sky: Masks of the Northwest Coast, (Seattle / Vancouver: Univ. of Washington Press, 1998), cat. 156; Daina Augaitis et al, Raven Travelling: Two Centuries of Haida Art, (Vancouver: Vancouver Art Gallery / Douglas & McIntyre, 2006), cat. 26 (ROM Collection); and Peter Macnair et al, The Legacy: Continuing Traditions of Canadian Northwest Coast Indian Art, (Victoria: BC Provincial Museum, 1980), fig. 71. Robin K. Wright’s Northern Haida Master Carvers, (Seattle: Univ. of Washington Press, 2001) discusses Diesing’s work and illustrates a portrait mask, print, and totem pole, pp. 323-326. See also Mary Anne Barbara Slade, Skilquewat: on the trail of Property Woman: the life story of Freda Diesing, PhD Dissertation, University of British Columbia, 2002. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

JOE DAVID (1946-) NUU-CHAH-NULTH 50 Winter Counts, 1996 wood, paint, hair, fabric, feathers, 27 x 13.5 x 15 in (68.6 x 34.3 x 38.1 cm), measurements reflect dimensions with top knot signed and dated, " J. DAVID / 96". Provenance Spirit Wrestler Gallery, Vancouver; Private Collection, Los Angeles / New York; Spirit Wrestler Gallery, Vancouver; Acquired from the above by John and Joyce Price, Seattle, WA. Fifty Winter Counts was carved by Joe David in 1996 to commemorate his own 50th birthday. This large, impressive mask is a blend of traditional Nuu-chah-nulth mask forms – which are angular forms influenced by canoe prows – with true portraiture and painted blocks of abstract shapes and designs that are personal to the dancer. Abstraction allowed the dancer to publicly recount historical and personal feats of bravery or accomplishments while keeping his personal preparations private. The top knot is also a traditional symbol of spiritual preparation for arduous tasks, such as participating in the yearly whaling ritual. It is tied to keep the hair from interfering with the task and to adhere to taboos about hair contact. Joe David is one of the most multifaceted of this generation of master artists; his interests include shamanic teachings, spiritual identity, activism for environmental protection, and interactions with the world Indigenous community to learn and build a stronger network. He has participated in the yearly Sun Dance Ceremonies at Big Mountain, Arizona and he has traveled extensively throughout the Southwest, New Zealand, and across Canada. In 1981, he was adopted into the Haida nation for his commitment to his art and culture. In 2015 he received the BC Creative Achievement Award for Lifetime Achievement. He was the first artist to be invited to the Artist-in-Residence Program in 2000 at the Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, Washington. Gary Wyatt The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

JUDAS ULLULAQ (1937-1999) Uqsuqtuuq (Gjoa Haven) The Shaman Who Could Fly, c. 1990 whale bone, sinew, and stone, 17 x 20 x 8 in (43.2 x 50.8 x 20.3 cm) signed, "???". Provenance Images Art Gallery, Toronto; Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection, Toronto. > ExhibitionsWinnipeg, Winnipeg Art Gallery, Art & Expression of the Nestilik, December 1997 - April 199Art & Expression of the Nestilik, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 2000), cat. no. 164, p. 168. Flight is this shaman’s only form of transportation. As he had no dogs, this is how he went hunting. The head in the shaman’s hand is his helping spirit. (Ullulaq, 1997, in Darlene Coward Wight, Art & Expression of the Netsilik, p. 168.) On the same page in her Netsilik catalogue, Darlene Wight describes Ullulaq’s detailed personal account of an experience with shamans. It finishes with the sentence: “From that day on, he knew that angakuq [shaman] stories are very true and that they are very powerful.” These words should leave no one in doubt as to the ongoing strength of belief in shamanism and spirits among many older Netsilingmiut, and Judas Ullulaq in particular. This belief not only inspires the imagery of Ullulaq’s art, it also quite literally infuses his sculptures with their magic and potency. Their humour and charm derive from the man himself. Judging from Ullulaq’s description and what we see in this remarkable sculpture, we think it is safe to assume that the shaman’s power derives from the helping spirit in the form of a smiling head. The shaman and the bird are one and the same. Of necessity, he transforms into a bird to be able to hunt. Ullulaq’s people often wear angst-filled facial expressions, but this shaman is clearly delighted with his good fortune and his abilities. His arms raised in joy mirror the raised wings of the bird at the rear. The bird image is etched onto the denser outer surface of this ancient piece of weathered whale bone. References: For important whale bone works by Ullulaq see First Arts, 1 Dec. 2020, Lot 69; Marion Scott Gallery, Vision and Form: The Norman Zepp – Judith Varga Collection of Inuit Art, (Vancouver, 2003), pp. 69-70; Ingo Hessel, Inuit Art: An Introduction, (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1998), p. 184; the section on the artist in Darlene Coward Wight, Art & Expression of the Netsilik, (Winnipeg Art Gallery, 2000), pp. 152-171; Marion Scott Gallery, Vital North: The Spirited Sculpture of the Kitikmeot Inuit, (Vancouver, 1996), figs. 22-23. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

OSUITOK IPEELEE, R.C.A. (1923-2005) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) Flamboyant Hawk, c. 1970 stone, 12.25 x 8 x 6 in (31.1 x 20.3 x 15.2 cm) signed, ??? [sic] ??? / ??? (Kinngait)." Provenance An Ottawa Collection. It is well known that Osuitok’s imagination was restless and wide-ranging. Although he revisited certain themes and styles throughout his long career, in his daily practice he preferred to change things up to stay fresh and creative. This sculpture is a fine example of the artist’s simplified, almost minimalist style, one which co-exists in his oeuvre with more highly detailed and naturalistic sculptures. The elegance of this abstracted form results in a visually poetic version of a hawk. Rather than being predatory, this hawk is graceful and full of personality and even humour. The smooth wings balance each other, one extending the line of the tail and the other echoing the simplified single foot. With its gesture and open beak, it almost feels as if the bird is telling us a story. References: For a similarly stylized bird by the artist from the same period see First Arts, Lot 2. For other examples of animals from the time see Jean Blodgett, Grasp Tight the Old Ways: Selections from the Klamer Family Collection of Inuit Art, (Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 1983), cats. 71 & 92, pp. 114-5. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

PAUTA SAILA, R.C.A. (1916-2009) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) Striding Polar Bear, c. 1962 stone, 6.75 x 15.75 x 3 in (17.1 x 40 x 7.6 cm) unsigned. Provenance Collection of John and Joyce Price, Seattle, WA. This marvelous sculpture captures the animal mid-stride or possibly even at a running gait. The work expresses a degree of simplified form together with an undeniable sense of power and “bearness” that we associate with Pauta Saila’s style. The lovely stone points to a period in Cape Dorset art in the late 1950s or early 1960s; in the context of Pauta’s stylistic development, we propose a date of c. 1962 – in other words, quite early in his long and distinguished career. Striding Polar Bear is long and lean and moves in a determined manner that reminds us of that other great carver of bears, Henry Evaluardjuk. And interestingly, unlike most sculptures by Pauta this bear invites us to caress its sleek, powerful back. References: For a very similar Bear by Pauta see The Eskimo Art Collection of the Toronto-Dominion Bank, (Toronto: T-D Bank, 1967), cat. 11. The TD work is also illustrated in Toronto-Dominion Bank, The Eskimo Art Collection of the Toronto-Dominion Bank, (Toronto: T-D Bank, 1972), cat. 36. For an important and similarly posed Roaring Bear, from 1968 by the artist see First Arts, 14 June 2022, Lot 82. See also George Swinton, Sculpture of the Inuit, (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1972/92), fig. 158 (TD BANK), also illustrated in Bernadette Driscoll, Uumajut: Animal Imagery in Inuit Art, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1985), cat. 1, and in Christine Lalonde and Natalie Ribkoff, ItuKiagâtta! Inuit Sculpture from the Collection of the TD Bank Financial Group, (Ottawa: National Gallery of Canada, 2005), pl. 11, cat. 38. See another similar example in Gerald McMaster, ed., Inuit Modern: The Samuel and Esther Sarick Collection, (Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 2010), p. 116; for another fine example see Susan Gustavison, Northern Rock: Contemporary Inuit Stone Sculpture, (Kleinburg: McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 1999), cat. 8. For important Pauta “dancing bears” see Ingo Hessel, Inuit Art: An Introduction, (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre / New York: Harry Abrams / London: British Museum Press, 1998), front cover and fig. 102; and First Arts, July 2020, Lot 46. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

ABRAHAM ANGHIK RUBEN, O.C. (1951-) PAULATUK / SALT SPRING ISLAND, B.C Figure Slumbering with Two Birds, 1990s stone and pigment, 19 x 29 x 12 in (48.3 x 73.7 x 30.5 cm) unsigned. Provenance Images Art Gallery, Toronto; Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection, Toronto. Born in Paulatuk in the far western Canadian Arctic, Abraham Anghik Ruben chose to live and work on Saltspring Island in British Columbia; his brother, David Ruben Piqtoukun, lives in Ontario. Anghik is a celebrated contemporary Inuvialuit sculptor with numerous solo exhibitions, including one at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. He has developed a unique style blending Inuit/Inuvialuit, Northwest Coast, and even Viking traditions. To the peoples of the Bering Sea region - home of many of Anghik’s ancestors - the raven is seen as a god in creation myths. The raven is believed to have created man as well as all manner of animals and birds. This compelling work, sculpted from Anghik’s favoured Brazilian soapstone, which is characterized by warm tones, depicts two ravens in intimate conversation, their forms arching towards each other to create a heart-like shape. Beneath them lies a slumbering human – an elderly man or woman, judging by their wrinkled face – sheltered by the enfolding wings of the ravens and finding protection within their sanctuary. The sculpture's smooth contours and gentle curves underscore a profound serenity and unity in Anghik's vision. Gorgeous. References: For studies of this important artist’s work see Darlene Wight, Out of Tradition: Abraham Anghik / David Ruben Piqtoukun, (Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1989); Darlene Coward Wight, Abraham Anghik Ruben, (Winnipeg Art Gallery, 2001); and Rocco Pannese and Cosimo Stifani, Abraham Anghik Ruben, (Vaughan, ON: Kipling Gallery, 2016). The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

DAVID RUBEN PIQTOUKUN (1950-) PAULATUK / ONTARIO Monumental Head Emerging from Stone, 1997 stone and muskox horn, 25 x 9 x 9.25 in (63.5 x 22.9 x 23.5 cm) signed and dated, "DAVID RUBEN PIQTOUKUN / 1997. Provenance Images Art Gallery, Toronto; Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection, Toronto. This striking sculpture beautifully showcases David Ruben Piqtoukun’s compositional flair and meticulous attention to detail. The strongly attenuated neck, crowned with a contemplative head, acts as a bridge between the terrestrial and the ethereal, possibly manifesting the shaman's transformative journey. Measuring just over two feet in height, its verticality creates a powerful feeling of transcendence, suggesting shamanic ascension and connection with ‘higher’ realms. The head gazes skyward, while its open mouth—perhaps in mid-chant—evokes the breath that animates the shaman's words and prayers. With its precise lines and smooth, polished finish set against the rich colours of the stone, this work underscores the harmonious blend of raw materiality and refined artistry. References: For studies of the artist’s work see Darlene Wight, Out of Tradition: Abraham Anghik / David Ruben Piqtoukun, (Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1989), and Darlene Coward Wight, Between Two Worlds: Sculpture by David Ruben Piqtoukun, (,Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1996). The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

DAVID RUBEN PIQTOUKUN (1950-) PAULATUK / ONTARIO Long Arm of the Law, 2004 stone, 7.5 x 13.25 x 2.25 in (19.1 x 33.7 x 5.7 cm) dated and signed, "2004. DAVID RUBEN PIQTOUKUN". Provenance Collection of John & Joyce Price, Seattle Entitled The Long Arm of the Law, this work is a playful and striking representation that cleverly materializes the colloquial expression for the long-reaching power of law enforcement agencies. Ruben invites us to contemplate the physicality of language as he transforms a well-known idiom into a tangible form. The figure is unmistakably marked as a sheriff by the exaggerated star-shaped badge, and this authority is humorously emphasized through the cartoonish elongation of his proper right arm. This work represents a departure from the artist's usually more spiritual themes (see Lot 53) with a more whimsical – perhaps even satirical – approach. Ruben may be wryly commenting on the overextension of police authority, especially in the context of historical and on-going tensions between law enforcement and Indigenous communities. The whimsical depiction could be interpreted as a critique of the uneven hand of justice, reminding of the need for balance and fairness in the application of the law. References: For an overview of the artist see, Darlene Wight, Between Two Worlds: Sculpture by David Ruben Piqtoukun, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1996). In an article in the Inuit Art Quarterly (Vol. 22, no. 1, Spring 2007), when discussing being fired from several jobs before committing to his artistic practice full time, Ruben commented that he “did not like being told what to do.” Though it is a somewhat glib comment, it does offer thematic undertones of the work as it reflects the artist's personal feelings about authority and the constraints it can impose. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

UNIDENTIFIED NUU-CHAH-NULTH or MAKAH ARTIST Model Canoe with Two Figures, c. 1880-90 cedar wood and trade pigment (Reckitt’s Blue), 5 x 24 x 5.75 in (12.7 x 61 x 14.6 cm) Provenance Important Private Collection, Pittsburgh, PA. Model canoes were a common production among Native carvers in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Nuu-chah-nulth and Makah carvers may have carved more than any other group, perhaps due to their proximity to numerous artifact markets. The most advanced model examples include human figures carved all of a piece with the canoe, as is the case here. In certain other models, the figures were added into the hull and pegged in place. This example includes two human figures, each carved of a piece with the hull, their arms resting on the canoe gunwales and their faces looking straight ahead. The canoe itself is in the traditional form of those employed in seal hunting, with an upturned bow and pronounced flares along the gunwales to turn off the waves encountered on the outer coast. The canoe represents very well the sleek and graceful characteristics of historical canoes. Steven C. Brown References: For a Nuu-chah-nulth or Makah canoe model with two similarly posed figures, c. 1880 see First Arts, 13 July 2021, Lot 18. For one c. 1860-80 see Steven C. Brown, Native Visions: Evolution in Northwest Coast Art from the Eighteenth through the Twentieth Century, (Seattle: Seattle Art Museum / Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1998), p. 65. For a similar canoe with three figures see Sotheby’s American Indian Art Auction, NY, May 2015, Lot 162. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

POSSIBLY RUDOLPH WALTON (1867-1951) OR A FOLLOWER, TLINGIT, SITKA, ALASKA Seal Form Grease Bowl, c. 1920 wood, stain, abalone, bone, and glass beads, 4 x 16 x 7 in (10.2 x 40.6 x 17.8 cm) Provenance Ritchie's Auctions, Toronto, 23 September 2023, Lot 203; Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection, Toronto. Rudolph Walton was highly regarded as a silversmith and carver of wood and ivory in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A member of the Tlingit Kiks.adi Clan (Raven/Frog), Walton was based in Sitka and was closely associated with the Sitka Training School, a Presbyterian mission school run by Sheldon Jackson. Best known for his engraved silver spoons and inlaid wooden sea lion bowls, Walton created a wide variety of household objects for tourists and curio seekers, which he sold out of his own shop. This seal bowl may be a later example of Walton’s work or that of a student. The head of the seal diverges somewhat from Walton’s style in how the teeth are inlaid and how the eyes are carved, although there are several features on this bowl – particularly the inlays around the rim and the flippers and tail – that are very much in line with Walton’s style of carving and inlay. The construction of the bottom of the bowl is also diagnostic of Walton’s carving. With all of that in mind, it is possible that this bowl was made by a student or admirer of Walton’s work with his assistance. The dish is carved in alder and features abalone inlays in the eyes and bone inlays in the mouth, fins, and rim of the bowl. There are also bone beads inlaid on the flippers and tail of the seal. Christopher W. Smith The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

FREDERICK ALEXCEE (1853-1940s) TSIMSHIAN Carved Spoon, c. 1920-1920 carved wood and pigment, 17 x 3.75 x 3 in (43.2 x 9.5 x 7.6 cm) signed, "FREDERICK ALEXCEE". Provenance Private Collection, Calgary, AB. Born and raised in Lax Kw'alaams (previously Port Simpson), British Columbia, Frederick Alexcee spent most of his life in or near his home community. In addition to creating model poles, model canoes, and paddles, Alexcee was also a fabulous painter who made landscape paintings depicting his life and the rapid changes occurring in Tsimshian Territory. Two of his paintings were included in an exhibition of Western Canadian art at the National Gallery of Canada in 1927. [1] Perhaps Alexcee’s best known artwork is the large angel baptismal font (A1776 a-c) now housed in the UBC Museum of Anthropology. This ladle combines Alexcee’s Tsimshian style of carving and formline with a painting technique that utilizes non-conventional colours and more recalls his landscape art. The overall shape of the ladle is customarily Tsimshian, with a raven figure biting and grasping the end of the handle. There is a formline raven painted in the bowl and the handle and raven figure are both covered in Alexcee’s signature style of formline elements in red, black, and green. There is a very similar example for comparison in the collection of the MOA (A2107). There is some loss to the tip of the bowl. 1. Frederick Alexcee biography. UBC Museum of Anthropology catalogue. http://collection-online.moa.ubc.ca/search/person?person=56&tab=biography. Accessed April 4, 2024. Christopher W. Smith The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

KENOJUAK ASHEVAK, C.C., R.C.A. (1927-2013) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) The Arrival of the Sun, 1962 #69 Printmaker: LUKTA QIATSUK (1928-2004) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) stonecut, 25 x 32.25 (63.5 x 81.9 cm) 49/50 Provenance Innuit Gallery, Toronto, their preserved label from the previously discarded frame, verso; Private Collection, Toronto; Estate of the above. In 1963, Kenojuak Ashevak was the focus of the National Film Board's documentary, Eskimo Artist: Kenojuak [1]. This captivating 19-minute film provides viewers with a unique insight into the transformation of Kenojuak's graphite drawing for The Arrival of the Sun into a stone plate, and its subsequent printing in the workshop for eventual sale. Garnering an Oscar nomination and winning several awards, this documentary undeniably catapulted Kenojuak to stardom. In a 1983 interview with Inuktitut magazine, Kenojuak reflected on the extraordinary and transformative impact the film had on her career. At the time of filming, while she could not have envisioned how the portrayal of her creative process for The Arrival of the Sun would catapult her to stardom, the income from the film provided her with unprecedented financial freedom. The funds enabled her husband Johnniebo, also featured in the film, to purchase a canoe from Lukta Qiatsuk. "For years,” Kenojuak shared, “Johnniebo had striven to achieve independence and now at last was able to hunt alone. It seemed like a new beginning for us" [2]. In the film, the roles of Iyola Kingwatsiak as the plate cutter and Lukta Qiatsuk as the printmaker are showcased, highlighting their indispensable contributions to the printmaking process. Intriguingly, until now, Iyola's role as the stonecutter has been conspicuously absent from the vast body of literature that has reproduced the print. In our dialogues with Sandra Barz, we acknowledge the regrettable lack of documentation from Kinngait's early printmaking days but it is both serendipitous and enthralling that new insights continue to surface and that we are able to contribute to deepening understanding and appreciation of this pivotal phase in the history of Inuit art [3]. Moreover, having the opportunity to view the film allows us to observe the transformations from Kenojuak’s original drawing to the final print. Notably, the central face in Kenojuak’s drawing, bearing a striking resemblance to The Woman Who Lives in the Sun, is absent in the printed version. Beyond the impact that the making of this particular print had on Kenojuak’s life and career, its formal qualities are nothing short of mesmerizing. The Arrival of the Sun is a striking work which presents a composition that is a dance of fluid forms, marked by a boldness of colour. The depicted birds, rendered in curvilinear elegance, seem to embody movement and life associated with the return of the sun after the period of Polar Night. The birds flitter about and encircle a central sun, which bursts forth in a radiant yellow, as if in celebration of its warmth and return. This particular edition of the print has preserved the intensity of the yellow remarkably well, giving it a presence so potent that the sun’s warmth is not merely seen but almost felt. We extend our gratitude to Sandra Barz for invaluable input when cataloguing this lot. 1. The National Firm Board notes the incorrect use of the word “Eskimo,” "an outdated and offensive term was formally rejected by the Inuit Circumpolar Council in 1980." It is important to note that colonial mythologizing is abundant in the film but the technical aspects are sound illustrations. 2. Kenojuak in “Autobiography”, Jean Blodgett, Kenojuak, (Toronto: Firefly Books / Mintmark Press Ltd., 1985) p. 22. 3. Correspondence with Sandra Barz, 25 March 2024. We extend our gratitude to Sandra Barz for invaluable input when cataloguing this lot. References: See film Eskimo Artist: Kenojuak Ashevak on the NFB’s website: https://www.nfb.ca/film/eskimo-artist-kenojuak/ (Accessed 20 March 2024). Sandra Dyck in Atiqput: Inuit Oral History and Project Naming, [(sl: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2022), pp. 198-99.] discussed the film at length. Jean Blodgett also discussed the film in her publication Kenojuak, (Toronto: Firefly Books / Mintmark Press Ltd., 1985, p. 22). The full interview with Kenojuak regarding is in “lnuktitut Asks Kenojuak About Her Life as an Artist and Mother”, Inuktitut, January, 1983. pp. 8-16, parts of this interview, along with stills from the film, are reproduced in Inuit Art Quarterly, vol. 27, no. 1, Winter, 2014, pp. 16-21. The Arrival of the Sun has reproduced in several important books on the artist and elsewhere, including but not limited to: Helga Goetz, The Inuit Print, international travelling exhibition, (Ottawa: National Museums of Canada and the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, 1977), pl. 26, p. 78 and p. 6 in colour; Jean Blodgett, Kenojuak, (Toronto: Firefly Books / Mintmark Press Ltd., 1985), pl. 28, unpag.; Leslie Boyd Ryan, Cape Dorset Prints: A Retrospective, (San Francisco: Pomegranate, 2007), p. 61; Norman Vorano, Inuit Prints: Japanese Inspiration, (Gatineau: Canadian Museum of Civilization, 2011), cat. 28, p. 86; and Anna Hudson, ?Jocelyn Piirainen, ?& Georgiana Uhlyarik, Tunirrusiangit: Kenojuak Ashevak and Tim Pitsiulak, exh. cat., (Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 2018), p. 57. Interestingly, on the cover of North / Nord Magazine, Vol., XV, no. 4, July/Aug 1968, an anthropomorphized sun appears on a design for gift wrapping paper that resembles the omitted sun from Kenojuak’s drawing for The Arrival of the Sun. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

KENOJUAK ASHEVAK, C.C., R.C.A. (1927-2013) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) Composition, 1967 #83 Printmaker: EEGYVUDLUK POOTOOGOOK (1931-1999) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) stonecut, 24.25 x 34 in (61.6 x 86.4 cm) 20/50 Provenance A Toronto Collection. Composition from 1967 exemplifies the perfect combination of artist and master printer, where individual design sensibilities and meticulous technique merge to create an exceptionally sophisticated stonecut print. Kenojuak Ashevak created a complex, almost Escher-like image in which three large owls stare out at the viewer, set against a field of ravens and other birds, bears, wolves, and stylized feathers. Printer Eegyvudluk Pootoogook added a three-dimensional aspect by utilizing negative space for the owls, thus making them appear to float above the darker background elements. These range from a warm and glowing red/brown/gold at the top which gradually darkens to black. The success of this print lies in the striking imagery, brilliantly translated onto the stone by a talented printmaker. References: For the still definitive study of the artist’s life and work see Jean Blodgett, Kenojuak, (Toronto: Firefly Books / Mintmark Press Ltd., 1985). Of the various Kenojuak prints of similar compositional format from the late 1960s, this image is the most complex and stunning. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

KENOJUAK ASHEVAK, C.C., R.C.A. (1927-2013) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) Bird with Bird Spirits, c. 2004 ink over graphite on paper, 20 x 26 in (50.8 x 66 cm) signed, "?????". Provenance A French Collection. That Kenojuak Ashevak often created monochrome drawings should not be surprising since it has always been line, and not colour, that has defined her drawn images. Bird with Bird Spirits exemplifies her later drawing style. The subject matter of birds remains the same, but this composition seems both more complex and more abstracted. The bird spirits’ bodies are energized with densely packed black lines that take the place of her more “typical” kelp-like feather-fronds. It is as if the spirits are emitting electrical charges. Only the bird at the top sports more naturalistic feathers on wing and tail, although it appears to be transforming as well. Kenojuak’s continuing sureness of hand is truly remarkable. References: For contemporaneous Kenojuak prints with similarly densely packed “lines of energy” see Summer Char, (Cape Dorset 2003, cat. 9; Quivering Seagull, and Mirrored Image, (Cape Dorset 2004, cats. 12 and 13; and Darting Raven, (Cape Dorset 2005, cat. 15). The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

SHUVINAI ASHOONA (1961-) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) Images on Earths, 2011 coloured pencil and ink on paper, 17.75 x 25.5 in (44.9 x 65 cm) signed, "???? ???"; titled, "??????? / ????/ ?????????". Provenance Collection of John and Joyce Price, Seattle. Shuvinai’s Images on Earths is a poignant commentary on daily life in Kinngait, albeit set in a fantastical scene containing several large images of the Earth, all hovering alongside a bizarre bear transformation holding yet another Earth. Three of the Earth images contain depictions of everyday life: people interacting, driving snowmobiles, or collecting garbage. The fourth shows a figure holding a lifeless body, alluding to the frequency of suicide in the North, a subject that the artist has revisited several times. Does the mysterious bear offer a pristine world in which suicide might not exist? References: For numerous drawings with similar imagery see Gaëtane Verna ed., Shuvinai Ashoona: Mapping Worlds, (Toronto: The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery / Munich: Hirmer Verlag, 2019). See also Nancy G. Campbell, Shuvinai Ashoona: Life & Work, (Toronto: Art Canada Institute, 2019). The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

LAWRENCE PAUL YUXWELUPTUN (1957-) COAST SALISH / OKANAGAN, COWICHAN / SYILX FIRST NATIONS Clearcut to the Last Tree [1], 1993 silkscreen or serigraph, 28.5 x 19 in (72.4 x 48.3 cm), framed, sight 67/98 Provenance Buschlen Mowatt Galleries, Vancouver, their label affixed to the frame dust cover, verso; Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection, Toronto. Created from the canvas of the same title housed in the Vancouver Art Gallery, and its accompanying sketch in the National Gallery of Canada, Clear Cut to the Last Tree stands as a poignant testament to Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun's interrogation of the connections between colonialism, Indigenous rights, and environmental destruction. The artwork ushers viewers into a space of trauma: a landscape ravaged by irresponsible resource extraction. This trauma is made physical by Yuxweluptun's rendering of two Indigenous figures in the foreground. Their forms reduced to almost skeletal states to convey a profound sense of despair as they laboriously traverse across the desolate expanse of a once-thriving landscape. In Yuxweluptun's visual world, every natural element is depicted with ovoid shapes, which hold historical significance in Northwest Coast art. Thus, everything is imbued with great meaning, a sentiment best encapsulated by the artist's own words, “I can touch the earth with my bare feet and understand that it’s still my native land” [2]. The vibrant colours amplify the sense of urgency and intensity, making Clear Cut to the Last Tree a highly successful and deeply affecting image that provokes thought about critical issues affecting not only Indigenous communities but the global environment as a whole. 1. Also Clearcut to the Last Tree 2. Petra Wilson, ed., Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun: Neo-Native Drawings and Other Works, 2010, p. 8. References: Clear Cut to the Last Tree, acrylic on canvas, is illustrated on the artist’s website (https://lawrencepaulyuxweluptun.com/retrospective.html). It is also illustrated in Arthur Kroker, Marilouise Kroke, Critical Digital Studies: A Reader, 2nd ed.(Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2013), p. 146; Affrica Taylor, Veronica Pacini-Ketchabaw, Unsettling the Colonial Places and Spaces of Early Childhood Education, (sl: Taylor & Francis, 2015), unpag.; and in Mark Cheetham, Landscape Into Eco Art: Articulations of Nature Since the ’60s, (University Park, PA: Penn State University Press, 2018). The sketch in the NGC is discussed in Andrea Kunard et. al, Shine a Light: Canadian Biennial 2014, (Ottawa: National Gallery of Canada, 2014), p. 226. The full citation for the artist’s quote can be read in Petra Wilson, ed., Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun: Neo-Native Drawings and Other Works, (Vancouver: Vancouver Contemporary Art Gallery, 2010), p. 8. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

BILL REID (IIJUWAS), O.B.C., R.C.A. (1920-1998), HAIDA Banner for Arts of the Raven: Masterworks by the Northwest Coast India, c. 1967 silkscreen on wove cotton fabric, 31.25 x 45.5 in (79.4 x 115.6 cm) unsigned. Provenance Private Collection, Alaska / BC; Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection, Calgary, AB. In 1967 Bill Reid co-curated the Vancouver Art Gallery exhibition Arts of the Raven: Masterworks by the Northwest Coast Indian, among the first to frame Northwest Coast Native art in an aesthetic rather than strictly ethnographic context. This banner features the theme design that Reid created for Arts of the Raven, adapted and redrawn from the left panel of the Denver Art Museum’s famed Double Raven Screen of the Huna Tlingit (ca. 1850), also shown in the exhibition. The original house partition illustrates the story of how Raven taught the Tlingit to fish, here adapted by Reid in emulation of what the catalogue describes as among “the finest achievements of Northwest Coast painted design.” The logo appeared on brochures, posters, and street banners advertising the show (such as this one), and Reid later reprised the design in a favourite carved and chased silver box in 1969. Christopher T. Green, PhD References: For the Double Raven Screen, see House Partition, about 1850, Denver Art Museum, access. No. 1939.140.2, https://www.denverartmuseum.org/en/object/1939.140.2, accessed 1 April 2024. The Raven image by Reid is reproduced in various states, including just with its form line in several adverts for the show; see The Province, 16 June 1967, p. “10” and The Vancouver Sun, 23 June 1967, p. A27 The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

SCOTT JENSEN and COURTNEY LIPSON, NON-INDIGENOUS, EACH ADOPTED TLINGIT "Raven Paints His Face" Mask, 2013 wood, pigment, and inlaid glass beads, 13.5 x 9.5 x 6 in (34.3 x 24.1 x 15.2 cm) initialed with artist's stylized monogram, dated, and signed, " SJ / 2013 / Kadach'aa'su". Provenance Stonington Gallery, Seattle, WA; Acquired from the above by John and Joyce Price, Seattle, WA. Exhibited Seattle, WA, Stonington, Facing Forward: A Group Mask Exhibition, 4-26 April 2013, cat. no. unknown Raven Paints His Face collaboration between Scott Jensen and Courtney Lipson, married artists, with diverse artistic backgrounds and skills. They are non-Indigenous / adopted Tlingit. The adoption occurred at the time of their wedding. Quoted from the Scott Jensen website, “In 2010 Courtney and I had a dual ceremony of our wedding and our naming and adoption by our Tlingit brother and sister, Fred Sal kaa and Ivy Gunalshowaxeex Fulmer. Me into the Chookaneidí Eagle, Brown Bear and Porpoise Clan and Courtney into the T'akdeintaan Raven, Frog and Black Legged Kittiwake clan.” Courtney Lipson is known for jewellery and miniature pieces with woven elements, beads and paint, imagery derived from microscopic observations of nature – patterns found in tide pools, water, rocks and shells. Her painting style is an extension of this process, fine detail based on nature and the demands of perfection found in the finest examples of Northwest Coast weaving. Her application of design to masks carved by Jensen are equally challenging, to wrap the design around sculpted forms and to lure the viewer into seeing the mask at close range. Both artists have had a long-term relationship with the Stonington Gallery in Seattle. This partnership honours their mutual preference to have feature exhibitions, catalogues and the opportunity to have their work seen in series. Jensen has had several catalogued solo exhibitions of his masks at the Stonington Gallery. Side by side, these masks demand equal attention and collectively span a wide range of mythological storytelling. His understanding of Tlingit mask making is exceptional which includes making pieces that are not large but intrinsically powerful and highly detailed. Raven Travelling are stories that span the Northwest Coast and reveal the many exploits of Raven – theft of treasures, meddling in the lives of humans and animals, and a curiosity for how the world works. Raven as human, of course assisted the other birds and animals in choosing their colours including his own. Gary Wyatt The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

ROBERT HOULE, R.C.A. (1947-) NAHKAWININIWAK (SAULTEAUX / PLAINS OJIBWAY) Afternoon with Rebecca, 2003 oil on canvas, 36 x 40 in (91.4 x 101.6 cm), framed signed and dated, "Houle '03". Provenance The artist; Rebecca Belmore Defence Fund Auction, Toronto, Held at Parts & Labour, 1 March 2011; Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection, Toronto. Robert Houle is one of the most accomplished and respected artists working in Canada today. With long experience as a teacher, curator, and a trenchant commentator on Indigenous rights, his paintings and installations provide an expansive and inclusive sense of what art can be. His 50-year retrospective Robert Houle: Red is Beautiful originated at the Art Gallery of Ontario in 2021, was seen across Canada, and is currently on view at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. In Afternoon with Rebecca, Houle paints with liquid versatility, creating an atmospheric surface across which colours and forms meld. At the same time, he commands our specific visual attention with assertive gestures and runs of paint in black and white. These marks are declarative, like pointed comments made in a conversation or like laughter. Houle calls this painting an “abstract portrait” of famed artist Rebecca Belmore (Lac Seul First Nation [Anishinaabe]). We can fleetingly identify a seated figure whose grey-shrouded lower body extends towards us as her upper torso tilts away to the left. Houle has evoked the dynamic Belmore in ways that a more conventional and realistic portrait could never do. Mark A. Cheetham References: For an overview of the artist’s career and his efforts in Abstraction see Carol Podeworny, et.al, Troubling Abstraction: Robert Houle, (Hamilton: McMaster Museum of Art, 2007) and Shirley Madill, Robert Houle: Life & Work, Art Canada Institute, Toronto, digital publication, 2018; and Wanda Nanibush, et. al., Red Is Beautiful, (Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 2021). The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

ALEX JANVIER, C.M., A.O.E., R.C.A., (1935-), DENE SULINE AND SAULTEAUX, COLD LAKE, AB The Caller, 1972 gouache on paper, 14.5 x 22 in (36.8 x 55.9 cm), framed. signed, inscribed with artist’s treaty number, and dated, "Janvier / 287 / '72"; titled in pencil by the artist, "THE CALLER" (verso); inscribed in graphite, in an unknown hand [member of Gevik Gallery?], "#144 / $77.50". Provenance Gallery Gevik, their sticker affixed to the frame dust cover, verso; Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection, Toronto. Each steady stroke is purposeful in this spidery, meandering distillation of fluid line and colour, entitled The Caller by Alex Janvier. The artist’s palette is deliberately restrained yet utterly dynamic: muted tones of deep magenta and sky blues gently clashing with bursts of vibrant oranges and calming greens. Beginning in the 1960s, Janvier began exploring the tension between abstraction and representation, blending these elements to varying extents throughout his career. In The Caller, much of the work is abstracted but some elements are rooted in representation: the whiplashing tails that whip from the two central “bodies” resemble bulrushes or buffalo tails. The serrated motif located in the lower centre-right may be interpreted as a contemporary abstraction of the time-honoured adornments found on numerous objects and belongings of the Dene Suline artisans. Elsewhere in the work, the array of vibrant triangles, squares, chevrons, and lozenge shapes recall the colourful geometric artistry characteristic of the designs and motifs found throughout much of the imagery of the various nations of the Plains Indigenous peoples. The Caller, with its creation in 1972, marks a pivotal moment in Janvier’s career. In this same year, Janvier, along with Jackson Beardy and Daphne Odjig, made a groundbreaking appearance at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. Their exhibition, Treaty Numbers: 23, 287, 1171: Three Indian [sic] Painters of the Prairies, was a landmark event, being the first-ever exhibition dedicated solely to contemporary First Nations art in a Canadian public art gallery. References: For early drawings with calligraphic lines, see Subconscious #3, 1960 in the Canadian Museum of History, accession no. 1972-067-029. For contemporary gouache works, see Jacqueline Fry, Treaty Numbers: 23, 287, 1171: Three Indian [sic] Painters of the Prairies, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1972), cat. nos. 2, Let Live; 5, Songs of my Grandfather, and 18, No One Cares. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

BOB BOYER, R.C.A (1948-2004), MÉTIS Oil Discovery Days: Poplar Arbor Revisited (Legion [Park?] 54: Poplar Arbor), 1998 / 2001 mixed media on canvas, 24 x 24 in (61 x 61 cm) signed, "BOYER" (rector, lower right); inscribed in red ink by the artist, struck, 'Bob Boyer 98' Mixed Media / canvass [sic] / 2' x 2' / "Legion [Park?] 54: Poplar Arbor"' to the top salvage, verso; inscribed in graphite by the artist, "2001", to the top salvage, verso; inscribed in black ink by the artist, 'Bob Boyer / 2001 / "Oil Discovery Days: Poplar Arbour Revisited" to the laminate panel support; inscribed in black ink by the artist 'Bob Boyer / 2001 / "Oil Discovery Days: Poplar Arbour Revisited"' to the cardboard dust cover; titled and dated, "Oil Discovery Days; Poplar Arbor [sic] Revisited, 2002" to the affixed Gallery Gevik label. Provenance Gallery Gevik, their label(s) affixed to the wood panel support (struck) and the cardboard dust cover; Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection. This mixed media work by Bob Boyer is a potent expression of symmetry and symbolism that stands as an approachably sized testament to his signature style, which blends balanced designs with motifs paying homage to the rich visual heritage of Indigenous cultures. Set against an off-white background with subtle texturing, the composition centres around a bold, emerald green diamond which houses the familiar motif of a cross. This central composition is flanked by mirrored shapes in blue with red trim, that are reminiscent of geometric patterns commonly seen in Plains Indigenous objects and belongings. The notations on the reverse reveal a creative journey: Boyer initiated this canvas in 1998 and, in a stroke of reflective evolution, revisited and enriched it in 2001. References: For an overview of the artists’s career, see Lee-Ann Martin, Bob Boyer: His Life’s Work, (Regina, SK: Norman Mackenize Art Gallery, 2008). See also Karen Duffek, Bob Boyer: Blanket Statement, (Vancouver: Museum of Anthropology, UBC, 1988) and Ruth Phillips, Shades of Difference: The Art of Bob Boyer, (Edmonton, AB: The Edmonton Art Gallery, 1991). The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

JESSIE OONARK, O.C., R.C.A (1906-1985) QAMANI'TUAQ (BAKER LAKE) Women with Ulus, c. 1978 coloured pencil over graphite on wove paper, 22.5 x 26 in (57.1 x 66 cm), framed. signed, "??". Provenance Eaton's Art Gallery, Toronto; Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection, Toronto, 21 November 1978, accompanied by a copy of the original invoice. Never one to shy away from bold colour and form, Jessie Oonark drew Women with Ulus as virtually a rainbow sampler of the feminine forms and symbols. In this lovely drawing the central figure of a young woman wears an eye-popping triangular dress; almost abstract, it reveals Oonark’s growing fascination with colour and design for their own sake, which evolved from her earlier interest in traditional clothing and decoration. The candy stripes of blue and orange contrast with the red and green stripes of her impressive tudliit (traditional hairsticks) that descend alongside the dress. The young woman smiles directly at the viewer, attended by two women whose clothes transform into the colourful, curved shapes of ulus (women’s knives). Oonark’s devotion to female imagery and symbolism has been discussed at length by several scholars as a celebration of womanhood and appears in her work throughout the 1970s. Based on the particular imagery of Women with Ulus we would date the drawing to c. 1973-75. The central figure is strikingly similar to the work on cloth Woman with Braids and Ulus from 1973 that was presented that year to HRH Queen Elizabeth II on a visit to Canada. [1] Graphics from the years 1973-75 with similar or related imagery and composition include the famous 1974 print Big Woman [2], and the c. 1974 drawing Face with Ulus (see First Arts, 4 Dec. 2023, Lot 104). 1. See Ken Mantel et al., Tuvaq: Inuit Art and the Modern World, (Bristol, UK: Sansom, 2010), fig. 44, p. 54. That figure wears a long tapering dress with chevron stripes, has hairsticks, and is flanked by ulu-women. 2. See First Arts, 12 June 2023, Lot 37 (print), and Ingo Hessel, Inuit Art: An Introduction (1998), pl. 131, p. 163 (drawing). References: For other writings on Oonark’s depictions of women see Bernadette Driscoll, "Tattoos, Hairsticks and Ulus: The Graphic Art of Jessie Oonark" in Arts Manitoba, (Fall 1984), pp. 12-19; Maureen Flynn-Burhoe, “Jessie Oonark: Woman in the Centre”, Inuit Art Quarterly, (Vol. 14, No. 2, Summer 1999), pp. 26-30. See also Robert Enright, “The Art of Jessie Oonark: Ceremonies of Innocence” in Inuit Art Quarterly, (Vol. 2, No. 14, Winter 1987), pp. 3-6. For a review of the artist’s life and work, see Jean Blodgett and Marie Bouchard, Jessie Oonark: A Retrospective, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1986). The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

MARION TUU'LUQ, R.C.A. (1910-2002) QAMANI'TUAQ (BAKER LAKE) Abstract Textile, c. 1971-2 stroud, felt, embroidery floss, and cotton thread, 56 x 9 in (142.2 x 22.9 cm), framed Provenance Collection of John & Joyce Price, Seattle In our discussion of one of Tuu’luq’s greatest masterpieces, Crowd of People from 1974 (see First Arts, 14 June 2022, Lot 36), we observed that Tuu’luq’s style is decidedly painterly. We would like once again to note Marie Bouchard’s comments on Tuu’luq’s art: “In constructing her designs, she would engage in a wordless dialogue with her materials, playing with shape and colour, literally using the fabric pieces likes swaths of pigment and covering their surfaces with thick embroidery stitching as visually fine and dense as Georges Seurat’s pointillist brushstrokes.” [1] These comments ring especially true when looking at what is essentially a purely abstract creation, the present Abstract Work on Cloth. Having produced a handful of little cloth “pictures” in the late 1960s, Tuu’luq created several beaded collars at the suggestion of arts adviser Sheila Butler in 1969-70. [2] Bouchard notes that when Butler began distributing larger pieces of material in 1971, Tuu’luq went on to create some “long thin bands of cloth covered with varied embroidery designs” but by 1972 was already creating the larger, more complex compositions for which she is known. [3] Two things become clear to us that are crucial to understanding Tuu’luq’s style. First, Abstract Work on Cloth was heavily influenced by the patterns of the beadwork pieces. Second, Tuu’luq’s abstract aesthetic developed almost immediately and influenced her style going forward, rather than developing over time as a sort of “distillation” of style. Works that are essentially abstract or contain abstract elements appear all through the artist’s career. Very early, very rare, and highly important in the understanding of Tuu’luq’s oeuvre, Abstract Work on Cloth is also extraordinarily lovely. Its beauty derives from its pristine yet organic abstraction and from its physical attributes. It has the “handmade” quality but also the architectural brilliance of a Gee’s Bend quilt. Its slenderness is accentuated by the extreme narrowness of the felt appliqué strips; their subtle earth tones enriched by the varied tracery of the stitches. Glorious. 1. Marie Bouchard, “Negotiating a Third Space: The Works on Cloth of Marion Tuu’luq” in Marie Bouchard and Marie Routledge, Marion Tuu’luq, (Ottawa: National Gallery of Canada: 2002), p. 28. 2. See the National Gallery catalogue Marion Tuu’luq, cats. 1 and 2. 3. Marie Bouchard, op. cit., p. 28. References: For more information and other masterpieces by the artist see Jean Blodgett, Tuu'luq / Anguhadluq: An Exhibition of Works by Marion Tuu'luq and Luke Anguhadluq of Baker Lake, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1976), cat. 33 (as Birds and Men); Marie Bouchard and Marie Routledge, Marion Tuu’luq, (Ottawa: National Gallery of Canada, 2002) is an important catalogue and the definitive introduction to Tuu’luq’s life and textile art. See also Katharine W. Fernstrom and Anita E. Jones, Northern Lights: Inuit Textile Art from the Canadian Arctic, (Baltimore: Baltimore Museum of Art, 1994). The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

MIRIAM NANURLUQ QIYUK (1933-2016) QAMANI'TUAQ (BAKER LAKE) Family Group, early 1970s stone, 7.25 x 10.5 x 5.75 in (18.4 x 26.7 x 14.6 cm) unsigned. Provenance By repute: Acquired directly from the artist by a Private Collection, early 1970s; Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection, Ontario. One of Jessie Oonark’s eight surviving children (all of whom became artists), Nanurluq was absolutely devoted to her own children and grandchildren, and to her husband Silas. The theme of family groups or large gatherings remained important and consistent throughout her career as a sculptor; it began in the early 1970s with works like this one and included several depictions of large families in boats made well into the 1990s. As a leading exponent of the Baker Lake carving tradition, “Mrs. Qiyuk’s” carving style was not only figurative but quite naturalistic – arguably, more so than that of male peers such as Arnasungaaq and Sevoga. This Family Group feels like an intensely personal image; viewers are keenly aware that this family gathering is a joyful one. It no doubt depicts various members of Nanurluq’s family: two women (likely the artist and one of her sisters) posing with their children. Each face is carved differently, so the portrayals are high individual. As Alistair Macduff suggested in his description of a very similar work, the various figures “display emotions ranging from the pride and joy on the face of the main figure to the impudence and shyness of the smaller figures. It is a rich extravagance of adults and children….” [1]. A lively and utterly charming composition, this is one of the finest examples we have seen. 1. Alistair Macduff and George M. Galpin, Lords of the Stone: An Anthology of Eskimo Sculpture, (North Vancouver: Whitecap Books, 1982), p. 88. References: For similar important examples by the artist see First Arts, 1 Dec. 2020, Lot 30; Darlene Coward Wight, Creation and Transformation: Defining Moments in Inuit Art, (Winnipeg Art Gallery, 2012), cat. 90; Bernadette Driscoll, The Inuit Amautik: I Like My Hood To Be Full, (Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1980), pp. 86-87; Canadian Arctic Art Museum Ltd., Arctic Art Masterworks: Selections from the Balshine Collection of Sculpture by Inuit, (Vancouver: 1998). See also Walker’s Auctions, Ottawa, May 2014, Lot 44; Nov. 2015, Lot. 54. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

LUKE IKSIKTAARYUK (1909-1977) QAMANI’TUAQ (BAKER LAKE) Standing Figure, c. 1973-75 antler, fur, and metal pins, 15 x 8.75 x 7.5 in (38.1 x 22.2 x 19.1 cm) unsigned. Provenance Private Collection, Toronto. As Norman Zepp perceptively suggests in his description of an Iksiktaaryuk drum dance scene: "…The success of these configurations is ultimately determined by the strength and beauty of the individual figures, many of which can stand on their own right" [1]. Indeed, the single standing figures that Iksiktaaryuk created, especially the large ones, are in fact marked by their strength and beauty. The finest ones have a commanding presence and an aura of solemn authority. Some are easily identifiable as shamans; often they are depicted flying, some wear amulet belts, or even sport tusks. At first glance, Standing Figure appears more secular in nature. Closer inspection, however, yields an intriguing and almost imperceptible tuft of fur attached to one of the tines of the antler base. Even if its placement is enigmatic, it is intentional and clearly suggests the presence of the supernatural. Perhaps the tuft is a helping spirit in the form of a bird or a small mammal. Standing Figure is one of the largest examples of its type, and ranks among the very finest. Austerely elegant and quietly ecstatic, this image of a solitary man beautifully conveys Iksiktaaryuk’s spiritual beliefs and his minimalist aesthetic. 1. Norman Zepp, Pure Vision, (Regina: Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery, 1986), p. 50. References: For similarly large and elegant examples see Darlene Coward Wight, The Faye and Bert Settler Collection, (Winnipeg Art Gallery, 2004) p. 62; Art Gallery of Ontario, The People Within, (Toronto: AGO, 1976) cat. 86; and Marion Scott Gallery, Inspiration: Four Decades of Sculpture by Canadian Inuit, (Vancouver, 1995), cat. 56. See also Waddington's Auctions, Nov. 2008, Lot 99. For a Bird Shaman in the Peter Millard Collection at the WAG, see Ingo Hessel, Inuit Art: An Introduction, (Douglas & McIntyre, 1998) fig. 85. See also the section devoted to Luke Iksiktaaryuk in Norman Zepp, Pure Vision: The Keewatin Spirit, (Regina: Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery, 1986), pp. 130-139. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

OVILOO TUNNILLIE, R.C.A. (1949-2014) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) Woman Covering Her Face, c. 2000 stone, 21.5 x 9.5 x 3.25 in (54.6 x 24.1 x 8.3 cm) signed, "??? / ???". Provenance Collection of John and Joyce Price, Seattle. Oviloo Tunnillie is rightly heralded as one of the leading sculptors of her generation. With a style truly defined as her own, Oviloo’s figures are instantly recognizable, and give voice to a woman’s point of view and experience. Powerful depictions of women, be they strong, tender, or sometimes tragic, dominated her career and created a canon of work that is like no other. Like many of Oviloo’s other female figures, Woman Covering her Face is depicted in a long flowing gown, devoid of any immediate markers of Inuit culture. Her hair drapes down her back, almost to the floor; like a veil, its carved directional texture subtly differs from the graceful flow of the dress. The dress itself could flutter with movement at any moment if the figure were to step back, despite being made of stone. While the woman stands solid and upright, her arms and upper body tilt subtly but dynamically enough to prepare us for drama. With mouth agape in a silent cry of surprise or fear, the woman’s rush of emotion is raw and palpable. Even if we the viewers can only guess at the source of her anguish, we instinctively feel her pain. As Darlene Coward Wight summarized in her catalogue essay for the WAG solo exhibition for Oviloo Tunnillie, “Oviloo’s generalized female subjects exude the emotions of the human condition that transcend gender and culture. Few carvers have been able to accomplish the abstraction of pure emotion through cold, hard stone.” [1] We couldn’t agree more. 1. Darlene Coward Wight, Oviloo Tunnillie: A Woman’s Story in Stone, (Winnipeg Art Gallery, 2016), p. 50. References: For a comprehensive study of the artist, see Darlene Coward Wight, Oviloo Tunnillie: A Woman’s Story in Stone, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 2016); see also Darlene Wight, Oviloo Tunnillie: Her Life & Work, (Toronto: Art Canada Institute, 2016); see also Odette Leroux, ed., Inuit Women Artists: Voices from Cape Dorset, (Hull, QC: Canadian Museum of Civilization, 1994), p. 221-239. For further insight into Oviloo’s work on the female form, see both the IAQ articles Robert Kardosh, “Transcending the Particular: Feminist Vision in the Sculpture of Oviloo Tunnillie, Inuit Art Quarterly, Vol. 24, No. 3, Fall 2009, pp. 24-33, and Peter Millard, “Meditations of Womanhood: Oviloo Tunnillie,” Inuit Art Quarterly, Vol. 9, No. 4, Winter 1994, pp. 20-25. For a similarly conceived contemporaneous figure of a woman by Oviloo in the Sarick Collection at the AGO see Gerald McMaster, ed., Inuit Modern: The Samuel and Esther Sarick Collection, (Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 2010), p. 208. For other similarly posed subjects by the artist see First Arts, 1 Dec. 2020, Lot 107, and 14 June 2022. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

TOONOO SHARKY (1970-) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) Bird Fish Transformation, c. 2005 stone and antler, 12 x 21.5 x 11 in (30.5 x 54.6 x 27.9 cm) signed, "?? ??". Provenance A Toronto Collection. Toonoo Sharky was elected as a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts when he was thirty-two years old, making him one of the youngest members in the Academy’s history. Astonishingly, by then he had already been carving for twenty-three years and had been a professional artist for about fifteen! Toonoo has been one of the most important Cape Dorset sculptors for over thirty years. In our December 2022 sale we featured a magnificent Bird of Prey by Toonoo which displayed the artist’s keen sense of observation as well as his technical prowess (Lot 28). Toonoo deserves his place in the pantheon of Inuit figurative sculptors, but he is equally at ease with surreal and abstract forms as he is with naturalistic ones. At first glance this sculpture appears to present us simply with an abstracted and truncated bird form. Closer inspection, however, reveals a substantial pair of aquatic pectoral fins. But not satisfied with merely depicting exciting subject matter, Toonoo has created a truly dynamic and daringly balanced sculptural composition that seems to defy gravity. References: For similar works by the artist see Ingo Hessel, Arctic Spirit: Inuit Art from the Albrecht Collection at the Heard Museum, (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre / Phoenix: Heard Museum, 2006), cat. 71 (see text); Derek Norton and Nigel Reading, Cape Dorset Sculpture, (Vancouver: Douglas and McIntrye, 2005), p. 76. See the article on the artist by Jessica Tomic-Bagshaw, “Contemporary Artist: Toonoo Sharky” in Inuit Art Quarterly, Vol. 16, No. 3, Fall 2001, pp. 4-6. See also First Arts, Toronto, 5 December 2022, Lot 28. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

GARY MINAKER-RUSS (1958), MASSET, HAIDA GWAII Pole No. 29, May 1988 argillite, 17 x 3.25 x 3.75 in (43.2 x 8.3 x 9.5 cm) inscribed by the artist, "POLE No 29) / (BASE) FROG / 1st. BEAR EATING SALMON / 2nd SEA BEAR WITH FROG / 3rd KILLERWHALE / Top THUNDERBIRD" / CARVED by / Gary Minaker-Russ / MASSET / 5/88". Provenance A Vancouver Collection. Gary Minaker-Russ is one of the masters of the contemporary argillite carving tradition. The fifth of nine children born to Harold Minaker and Eleanor Russ, he began carving as a teenager with his brother Ed and sister-in-law Faye Russ and moved with them to Victoria to concentrate fully on becoming a career artist. He is known for his narrative depictions of Haida myths but has also carved numerous classic pieces such as platters and model poles. Pole No. 29 wonderfully blends the classical Haida model pole tradition with contemporary flair, featuring elements such as intricate carving, woven figures that interact with tension and drama, and many delightful small details such as figures carved in the ears and chests. A stone of this scale is rare in modern argillite art, and the artist is known to covet great pieces of stone, reserving them for sculptures worthy of the time needed to design and carve a masterpiece. Pole No. 29 is indeed one such piece – an exceptional example of his personal style and equal to the high standards set by his peers over decades of exploring the possibilities of model pole carving. Minaker-Russ has built a strong following for private commissions as well as galleries representing his work. He documents all his pieces (thus Pole No. 29 is a title that reflects his personal record keeping). His work is featured in the 2008 book by Carol Sheehan, Breathing Stone - Contemporary Haida Argillite Sculpture, (Frontenac House), pp. 130-141. Gary Wyatt The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

ROBERT JAMES (JIM) SCHOPPERT (1947-1992) TLINGIT Seal Dancer Spirit Drum, 1983 wood, acrylic paint, gut, feathers, and embroidery floss 36 x 24 x 8 in (91.4 x 61 x 20.3 cm), measurements reflect dimensions without custom pedestal, with: 68 x 24 x 12 in (172.7 x 61 x 30.5 cm) signed and dated, "Schoppert 1983". Provenance Stonington Gallery, Seattle, WA, 2015; Acquired from the above by John and Joyce Price, Seattle, WA. Exhibited Seattle, WA, Stonington Gallery, Masters of Disguise I - Group Mask Exhibition, 4 - 28 June 2015, cat. no. unknown. Jim Schoppert was among the most innovative Alaska Native artists of the 20th century. Born in 1947 in Juneau, he worked at the intersection of Alaskan Native and Euro-American art and life. He received a BFA from the University of Alaska and an MFA from the University of Washington and was adept in a range of media, including ivory engraving, carving, sculpture, printmaking, and painting, all of which he frequently combined in complex multimedia sculptures such as Seal Dancer Spirit Drum. While he is best known for the large scale carved and painted abstract wooden panels in which he fragmented and rearranged elements of Northwest Coast formline design, he adapted diverse cultural forms and styles in pursuit of new possibilities for what he called an “uninterrupted” future of Tlingit art. His drum-dancer masks, for example, are free-standing sculptures begun in 1980 that are based on Yup’ik kegginaqut dance masks, shamans’ drums, and yua (spirit) figures. These works creatively explore and make variations on the conventions of Arctic mask making, combining recurrent motifs found in Yup’ik masks such as large grinning mouths filled with wooden peg teeth, outstretched flippers and paddle-like hands, and feathers or hoops. Seal Dancer brings this impulse fully into the round in a dynamic and humorous fashion with a figure whose face emerges from the body of a seal, bent legs and gently swaying feathers evoking the movement of dance. The patterning and bright acrylic palette take on a jubilant nature, combining to transform the historically inspired forms into a contemporary mode. The stretched gut-skin drum of Seal Dancer has been decorated with small painted seals, frolicking across the surface like expressionistic brush strokes which Schoppert considered “abstract movement from a different language base.” Inspired by the complexity of Yup’ik masks and dancing, Schoppert combines the guiding source of a dancer’s rhythm – the drum – with the language and repetitive beats and strokes of modernist painting, having been equally inspired by and interested in the primitivist pursuits of the Surrealists and Abstract Expressionists. He thus finds new possibilities for Indigenous art in the meeting of the quintessential forms and materials of Alaskan Native art and the visual language of the Euro-American avant-garde, drawing forth the relationship between Alaskan Native artistic heritage and the broader history of Western modernism. Christopher T. Green, PhD References: Some years after Schoppert’s death, the Anchorage Museum of History and Art organized a traveling exhibition and catalogue, Instrument of Change: Jim Schoppert, 1947-1992, Retrospective Exhibition, (Anchorage: Anchorage Museum of History and Art, 1997). The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

LAWRENCE (LARRY ULAAQ) AHVAKANA (1946-) INUPIAQ Anatkut At Winter Ceremonial Calling Seal Helping Spirit, December 2010 red and yellow cedar, wood, walrus tusk, glass and resin beads, metal and plastic conical beads, cedar bark, catlinite, cotton string, and pigment, 25 x 11.75 x 7.25 in (63.5 x 29.8 x 18.4 cm) dated and signed twice, "12 / 2010 / L. Ahvakana". Provenance Stonington Gallery, Seattle, WA, 2011; Acquired from the above by John and Joyce Price, Seattle, WA. Exhibited Seattle, Stonington Gallery, Masters of Disguise I - Group Mask Exhibition, 4 - 28 June 2015, cat. no. unknown. Lawrence “Larry” Ulaaq Ahvakana is one of Alaska’s most celebrated artists. For the last six decades he has created using a wide range of media including wood, stone, bronze, glass, and paint. From 1966-1969, Larry attended the Institute of American Indian Art (IAIA) in Santa Fe, earning a BA in sculpture. From 1970-1972, Larry attended the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), obtaining a BFA in art. While at IAIA, Larry studied under Apache sculptor Allan Houser (1914-1994), whose influence is especially evident in the faces of Larry’s stone and bronze figures. Larry was also among the first Indigenous artists to experiment with glass in his artwork. Anatkut at Winter Ceremonial Calling Seal Helping Spirit by Larry Ahvakana captures the moment when the Shaman beckons his Seal Helping Spirit Fetish from the Kutuk, or hole in the floor, which happens in a dance performed during the winter ceremonial Messenger Feast.” [1] This sculpture is an absolute masterclass in techniques and materials, bringing together a wide range of media and wood types to present this vignette of an Inupiaq medicine man performing a healing ceremony. The human figure is depicted as gaunt and emaciated with a protruding backbone, but the expression on his face is one of serenity. The seal spirit, a miniature of the spirit masks that Larry often creates, is similarly depicted as being at peace and is sharing this calm moment of ceremony with the medicine man. All of the many elements combining to create this harmonious composition are a testament to Larry Ahvakana’s skills, craftsmanship, and grounding in his Inupiaq culture. 1. Stonington Gallery, Seattle. Anatkut at Winter Ceremonial Calling Seal Helping Spirit, https://stoningtongallery.com/artwork/anatkut-at-winter-ceremonial-calling-seal-helping-spirit/ Christopher W. Smith References: For works by the artist see Dorothy Jean Ray, Eskimo Art: Tradition and Innovation in North Alaska, (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1977), p. 179; Susan W. Fair (Jean Blodgett, editor), Alaska Native Art: Tradition, Innovation, Continuity, (Fairbanks: University of Alaska Press, 2006), pp. 4-5. See also the artist’s website: ahvakana.com. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

UNIDENTIFIED GREENLANDIC ARTIST Tupilak, possibly 1940s or 1950s stone, 3.5 x 9 x 3.25 (8.9 x 22.9 x 8.3 cm) unsigned. Provenance A Danish Private Collection; Bruun Rasmussen Auctions, 2014, Copenhagen; Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection, Ontario. The tupilak (plural tupilek) was originally a dangerous evil spirit object produced by the bundling together of various animal materials, which when infused by the power of magical incantations could destroy an enemy. Tupilek were made and used in secret and disposed of after use. Wooden carvings representing these spirits were carved in the 1930s or earlier. “Classic” tupilak spirits are depicted in a crawling position, while the grotesque whale tooth carvings that became popular with tourists and collectors in later decades more typically depict single or stacked demonic figures in upright positions. Bizarre in aspect, they are not usually particularly frightening. With its grotesque face and skeletal crouching animal form, this fine stone Tupilak more closely resembles early wooden examples. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

UNIDENTIFIED GREENLANDIC ARTIST Two Standing Figures on Base, c. 1940s or 1950s carved wood, and paint, 4.75 x 5.75 x 2 in (12.1 x 14.6 x 5.1 cm) unsigned Provenance Collected by a Canadian federal government administrator active in the Eastern Arctic in the 1940s and 1950s; by descent in the family. These charming doll-like figures are painted to illustrate traditional West Greenlandic festive clothing, in the fashion adopted around 1920. The man’s outfit (a white anorak, black trousers, and fancy kamiks) is called qaqortumaartoq. The woman’s festive clothing is known as arnatoortoq and is considerably more elaborate, featuring an anorak with spectacular beaded collar and wrists, decorated short pants, and long kamiks with beautifully designed fronts. The woman’s hair is arranged in the traditional topknot style. This work exemplifies Greenlandic folk art at its finest. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

UNIDENTIFIED NUU-CHAH-NULTH ARTIST Carved Figure, c. 1880 wood and paint, 20.75 x 3 x 2 in (52.7 x 7.6 x 5.1 cm), measurements reflect dimensions without custom made stand Provenance Christie's, New York, 31 December 1969, Lot 46, as "A Westcoast Figure"; Collection of Jim and Marilyn Bergstrom; Christie’s, New York, 5 Dec. 1996, Lot 46; An American Collection; Douglas Reynolds Gallery, Vancouver; Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection, Vancouver, 2006. Exhibited Seattle, Seattle Art Museum, The Box of Daylight, 15 Sept 1983 - 8 Jan 1984. Published Bill Holm, Box of Daylight, (Seattle: University of Washington Press, / Seattle Art Museum, nd [1983?]), fig. 167, p. 116, as "Westcoast," "late 19th Century." NB: The description describes the "simple face" painted on the lower bear figure as recalling "Chiletus' work." This enigmatic object, though difficult to define in its use and purpose, is nonetheless an excellent example of nineteenth century Nuu-chah-nulth-style sculpture. The head is superbly proportioned and finely finished in this style. Tall, narrow sculptures are typical of Nuu-chah-nulth carving in the mid-to-late nineteenth century, while very early examples (such as those from Captain James Cook’s time in the late eighteenth century) were more nearly the same in width and height. In this sculpture the eye is subtly set back beneath the plane of the eyebrow and features very wide-open eyelids, both characteristics common in Nuu-chah-nulth carving from this period. The nose does not protrude particularly far but includes strongly formed, wide nostril flares, defined by a deep cut on their perimeter that continues down and around the ends of the mouth. The depth of this cut continues around the bottom of the lower lip, providing sure definition of the line between the mouth area and the chin, which protrudes nearly as far as the lips. The cheek areas rise gently from the shallow cut beneath the eyes and roll down into the much deeper cuts defining the nostril flares. The cheek areas are subtly rounded horizontally and remain at their height down to the jaw line as it turns beneath the mouth toward the somewhat protruding chin. The small bear figure at the bottom is also typically Nuu-chah-nulth in style. The shape of the eyes on their own plane and the form of the nose are identifying characteristics. A face is painted on the plaque-like torso of the bear, which is framed by the animal’s forelegs. Additional Nuu-chah-nulth objects like this are unknown, so the purpose of this sculpturally fine carving remains a mystery. Steven C. Brown The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

DAVIE ATCHEALAK (1947-2006) PANNIRTUQ (PANGNIRTUNG) / IQALUIT (FROBISHER BAY) Drum Dancer, c. 1990 stone and antler, 15.75 x 11.5 x 10.5 in (40 x 29.2 x 26.7 cm) signed, "DAVIE ATCHEALAK". Provenance Private Collection, Toronto. Davie Atchealak was born in the Cape Dorset area but spent most of his career moving back and forth between Pangnirtung and Iqaluit (where he became a protégé and friend of Henry Evaluardjuk). By the early 1970s Atchealak was carving sculptures which garnered immediate recognition and success. [1] Gifted with tremendous skill, Atchealak was also a genius when it came to the structural requirements of sculpture. Without any academic training, he was perhaps the foremost “engineer” of the Inuit art world. Whereas first generation artists, such as his mentor Evaluardjuk, needed to have their sculptures firmly planted on the ground or supported (see lot 81), Atchealak became expert at carving small, cantilevered bases. This brilliantly executed example shows a muscled drummer leaning slightly to one side while his opposite arm and leg are outstretched. To counter having the sculpture topple under the weight of the raised limbs, Davie has retained just enough stone to support the whole. The genius of Atchealak is how he would almost negate the existence of the base by having his athletic figures seem to be separate and indeed almost sliding off their supports. Brilliant! 1. Atchealak’s most famous work, a whale bone Drummer from 1974, was for years the auction price record holder for Inuit art when it was purchased by the National Gallery of Canada in 1989. For an illustration see Ingo Hessel, Inuit Art: An Introduction, 1998, pl. 74. References: For works by Atchealak see Ingo Hessel, Inuit Art: An Introduction, (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre / New York: Harry Abrams / London: British Museum Press, 1998), pl. 74, p. 95; Ingo Hessel, Arctic Spirit: Inuit Art from the Albrecht Collection at the Heard Museum, (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre / Phoenix: Heard Museum, 2006), cat. 29, p. 27, and cat. 147, p. 174; and Harold Seidelman & James Turner, The Inuit Imagination: Arctic Myth and Sculpture, (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre Ltd., 1993), fig. 32, p. 55. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

HENRY EVALUARDJUK (1923-2007) IQALUIT (FROBISHER BAY) Drum Dancer, mid-late 1970s stone, antler, wood, and hide, 15.5 x 14.25 x 8 in (39.4 x 36.2 x 20.3 cm) signed, "HENRY / ??? ??". Provenance Private Collection, Toronto. After a career that probably began as early as the 1940s, Henry Evaluardjuk settled in Frobisher Bay in the early 1960s where he accepted a job teaching carving at the local Rehabilitation Centre and acted as mentor to a group of talented younger artists. Although best known as a wildlife artist, primarily for his signature “Henry bears” (see First Arts, Dec. 2022, Lot 136), Evaluardjuk also excelled at depictions of the human figure (see First Arts, Dec. 2020, Lot 92). By the early 1970s, Davie Atchealak, a Henry protégé, began producing sculptures which gained the young artist immediate accolades and popularity. In what we assume was a spirit of friendly competition, Evaluardjuk seems to have risen to the challenge to create artworks which were both visually dynamic and structurally challenging. Rather than being firmly planted on the ground like his earlier human figures, this wonderfully animated drummer is depicted with one leg raised high above the ground. Henry has supported the weight of his off-centered composition by using a structural support disguised as a landscape element. References: For various depictions of the human figure by the artist see First Arts, 1 Dec. 2020, Lot 92, 4 Dec. 2023, Lots 91 and 118; George Swinton, Sculpture of the Inuit, (Toronto: M&S, 1972/92), fig. 530, or Maria von Finckenstein ed., Celebrating Inuit Art 1948-1970, (Gatineau: Canadian Museum of Civilization, 1999), p. 135; Walker’s Auctions, Ottawa, May 2018, Lot 94; Barbara Lipton, Arctic Vision: Art of the Canadian Inuit, (Ottawa: Canadian Arctic Producers/Indian & Northern Affairs Canada, 1984 U.S. tour), p. 55; Eskimo Art Gallery, Henry Evaluardjuk, (Montreal, 1987), p. 6; Waddington’s Auctions, Nov. 2008, Lot 219. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

KENOJUAK ASHEVAK, C.C., R.C.A. (1927-2013) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) Mother Hawk Holding Young, late 1960s stone, 13.25 x 15.5 x 6.5 in (33.7 x 39.4 x 16.5 cm) signed and inscribed, "????? / ???". Provenance Waddington’s Auctions, 10 Nov. 2008, Lot 125, as “Owl and Young”; Spirit Wrestler Gallery, Vancouver; Collection of John and Joyce Price, Seattle. Exhibited Spirit Wrestler Gallery, Vancouver, Kenojuak: The Light of Happiness, 14 Sept - 5 Oct 2013, cat. 90, as "c. 1965 and “Owl and Young”. This endearing depiction of a mother hawk nestling her young chick appears to be imbued with the maternal love that Kenojuak held for her own children. The artist has combined elements of her personal, distinctive style, such as the almond-shaped eyes, downturned beaks, and simple lines suggestive of feathers to create a tender moment in the life of a young bird. The mother hawk’s beak is ajar as if in speech, as the pair look off into the distance. Perhaps she is imparting a lesson in hunting or flying. The younger hawk, still enveloped in the safe embrace of its mother, listens attentively, perhaps envisioning the next stage of its life. References: For various sculptures by Kenojuak see Jean Blodgett, Kenojuak, (Toronto: Firefly Books / Mintmark Press Ltd., 1985); Odette Leroux ed., Inuit Women Artists, (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre / Gatineau, Canadian Museum of Civilization, 1994); George Swinton, Sculpture of the Inuit, (Toronto: M&S, 1972/92); and Sculpture / Inuit: Masterworks of the Canadian Arctic, (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1971). The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

JOHN TIKTAK, R.C.A. (1916-1981) KANGIQLINIQ (RANKIN INLET) Mother and Child, c. 1970 stone, 7.5 x 3.75 x 3.25 in (19.1 x 9.5 x 8.3 cm) signed, "??". Provenance Inuit Gallery of Vancouver; Acquired from the above by John & Joyce Price, Seattle. Exhibited Vancouver, Inuit Gallery of Vancouver, Kivalliq Collections, Oct 2007, cat. no. 42. The pioneer Inuit art scholar and author George Swinton was greatly attracted to the sculpture of John Tiktak and in 1970 chose him for the first major public solo exhibition of an Inuit artist's work. Swinton believed that Tiktak, like Henry Moore, was a genius image-maker who could envision human figures as assemblages of primal forms and open spaces. Already in a 1966 article in Canadian Art, Swinton had compared Tiktak to Moore: His sophistication of form is such that he arrives at primal shapes. And his communication is such that he requires the most elemental statements in content and form: he communicates elemental matter through primal form. Yet in this very simplicity he achieves a sophistication that comes only from struggle with thought and its distillation into form. It is precisely in this regard that he resembles Moore. [1] Tiktak’s sculptural style had been relatively cool and elegant in the early-mid 1960s but became starkly expressive and even brutal before the end of the decade. An old injury sustained while he was working at the Rankin Inlet nickel mine bothered him, and he began relying more on power tools by 1968. The apparent lack of “finesse” in his later works was replaced by ever greater emotional and psychological intensity. Tiktak's figures became increasingly rugged and raw even, but arguably even more powerful. Mother and Child, from about 1970, is a particularly moving and poignant example from this period. The mother’s visage is almost skeletal, while the child seems to cry for help. Extraordinary. 1. George Swinton, "Artists from the Keewatin" in Canadian Art, (April 1966: 32-34), p. 34. References: For various fine examples of mother-and-child sculptures by the artist see First Arts, 28 May 2019, Lot 44; 1 Dec. 2020, Lot 110; (and again 12 June 2023, Lot 58); 13 July 2021, Lot 23; 14 June 2022, Lot 109. See several examples in George Swinton, Tiktak: Sculptor from Rankin Inlet, N.W.T., (Winnipeg: Gallery One-One-One, University of Manitoba School of Art, 1970). See the section on the artist in Norman Zepp, Pure Vision: The Keewatin Spirit, (Regina: Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery, 1986), pp. 96-107. See also Bernadette Driscoll, Rankin Inlet/Kangirlliniq, (Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1981), 78-87. See also Gerald McMaster ed., Inuit Modern: The Samuel and Esther Sarick Collection, (Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 2010), p. 126. For numerous examples from the 1960s see George Swinton, Sculpture of the Inuit, (Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1972/92), figs. 648-665. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

KENOJUAK ASHEVAK, C.C., R.C.A. (1927-2013) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) Composition with Arctic Hare, Wolves, and Birds, c. 1997-98 ink and coloured pencil on paper, 20 x 26 in (50.8 x 66 cm) signed, "?????". Provenance Collection of John and Joyce Price, Seattle, WA. This work is a striking example of the more intricate drawing style of Kenojuak’s later career. Throughout the 1990s, artists in Kinngait were becoming increasingly intrigued with developing their own personal graphic styles even as collectors in the south were becoming more interested in original drawings in addition to prints. The works from Kenojuak in this period show the development of more complex compositions. While Composition with Arctic Hares, Wolves, and Birds has the artist’s characteristic symmetry, the various elements have become more complicated and serpentine than in her earlier drawings. The heads of the animals and birds appear in profile and are linked by extravagant, stylized strands that envelop the whole composition. These are ornamented with bright orange orbs that create a striking contrast to the black ink, unifying and enlivening the image. The subject matter becomes more expansive as well; birds and wolves appeared in her drawings frequently; here they are supplemented by Arctic hares. Innovative and modern though this image may be, perhaps it’s partly because of the hares that we can’t help but see echoes of Kenojuak’s very first print, Rabbit Eating Seaweed. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

PARR (1893-1969) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) Hunters with Rifles and Dogs Approach a Walrus, c. 1965-7 coloured pencil on wove paper, 20 x 25.75 in (50.8 x 65.4 cm) signed, "?" Provenance Collection of John and Joyce Price, Seattle. We are titling this drawing by Parr in deference to Mame Jackson’s description of a very similar work in her 1988 exhibition catalogue Parr: His Drawings. [1] Although arguably some of the central figures might be children, they certainly dominate an image that seems to emphasize community celebration or encouragement rather than hunting. In her catalogue essay Jackson suggests that Parr’s “[h]unting themes are not depicted as specific instances in time but, rather, are removed from historic time and attain an emblematic quality suggesting timelessness and permanence.” [2] Thus, the animals seen here do not illustrate captured prey but rather symbolize their part in the cycle of life. This charming and joyful mid-career drawing was likely made a year or so after Parr began using coloured pencils and crayons in 1963. 1. Marion E. Jackson, Parr: His Drawings, (Halifax: Art Gallery, Mount St. Vincent University, 1988), cat. 15. 2. Ibid., “Parr’s Drawings: The Marks of a Hunter” (pp. 5-6:5). References: For examples of contemporaneous drawings by Parr see Ingo Hessel, “The Drawings of Parr: A Closer Look” in IAQ, (Fall 1988), 14-20; Marion E. Jackson, Parr: His Drawings, (Halifax: Art Gallery, Mount Saint Vincent University, 1988); and Drew Armour, “Parr: A Unique Canadian Artist” in Canadian Antiques & Art Review, (April 1981), pp. 30-35. For information about the artist, see Terry Ryan, “Parr” in The Beaver, Autumn 1979; this article was subsequently reprinted in Alma Houston, ed. Inuit Art: An Anthology, (Winnipeg: Watson & Dwyer, 1988) pp. 38-41. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

NIVIAQSI (NIVIAKSIAK) (1908-1959) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) Untitled (Four Scenes Camp Scenes), c. 1957-58 graphite drawing on cerlox bound notepad paper, 12 x 9 in (30.5 x 22.9 cm) unsigned. Provenance Collection of John and Joyce Price, Seattle. Esteemed for his monumental but brief contributions to the Kinngait graphic program (see also Lot 95), Niviaqsi's penchant for simplistic silhouetted forms, which favoured composition rather than individual characterization, is evident in this work. Presented on a page from one of the numerous notebooks believed to have been gifted by James Houston, in a fascinating collection of vignettes, we witness the tranquil routines of spring camp life rendered in Niviaqsi's iconic style. At the top is a meticulously constructed skin tent, its posts serving not only as structural supports but as a makeshift drying rack for two pairs of boots. To the right, one observes a disciplined array of fish, systematically strung up to cure in the open air. Descending down the page, we encounter a familial scene: a son, eager and observant, joins his father who, armed with tools, approaches a captured seal to commence the precise work of flensing. Below, playful juxtaposition of labour and leisure unfolds: two figures partake in a traditional game, the nature of which involves a disc or ball. Neighbouring the playing pair, a duo attends to the meticulous task of erecting a tent, with the figure on the right pausing to acknowledge the game-engaged twosome with an extended arm. Concluding the tableaus at the bottom of the sheet, a quartet of sled dogs is tethered, three of which reside in repose, while a forth – perhaps animated by the nearby game – adopts a lively stance. References: For other drawings by the artist in a similar style see Gerald McMaster ed., Inuit Modern, (Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 2010) pp. 72-73. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

JOHN TIKTAK, R.C.A. (1916-1981) KANGIQLINIQ (RANKIN INLET) Head, early 1970s stone, 9.75 x 7.75 x 2.75 in (24.8 x 19.7 x 7 cm) signed, "??". Provenance Private Collection, Toronto. Famous for his figural sculptures, including those of mothers and children (see Lot 83), Tiktak is also celebrated for his depictions of human heads and faces, carved both singly and in clusters. There are a few early examples, but Tiktak began carving single heads regularly in the mid 1960s (see First Arts, 1 Dec. 2020, Lot 16 from 1964-65, and Lot 10 in this sale from c. 1967), and multiple head works soon thereafter. As with his figural works, Tiktak’s heads became more raw and even brutal in style by the late 1960s. This Head probably dates from the early 1970s (just after George Swinton’s landmark Tiktak solo exhibition in 1970). Impressive in both its large size and its ruggedness, it was probably carved from stone scavenged at the old nickel mine site in Rankin Inlet. The large mineral veins and inclusions add to this formidable sculpture’s almost primeval feeling of rawness and monumentality. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

LUCY TASSEOR TUTSWEETOK (1934-2012) ARVIAT (ESKIMO POINT) Mother with Children, c. 1970 stone, 4.75 x 1.75 x 3 in (12.1 x 4.4 x 7.6 cm) signed, "??"; further inscribed, (?) Provenance Private Collection, Toronto. Like her friend and carving buddy John Pangnark, Lucy Tasseor created recognizably figural works in the first few years of her career, even as she was exploring the possibilities of semi-abstraction. Mother and Two Children is a masterpiece of Tasseor’s early style; carved with supreme subtlety and elegance, the sculpture is strikingly monumental despite its small size. Both the mother and the child she carries gaze skyward; might her second child, seemingly a swaddled infant, be journeying heavenward? Speculation aside, the work is a sensitive and powerfully evocative portrait of maternal love. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

JOHN PANGNARK (1920-1980) ARVIAT (ESKIMO POINT) Figure , c. 1973-74 stone, 6.25 x 6.25 x 2 in (15.9 x 15.9 x 5.1 cm) signed, "??". Provenance Private Collection, BC; Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection, Ontario, c. 2019. We have spoken before about artists who are economical with the materials they use, reducing a piece of raw stone or antler to an essential form when the work is finished. Few artists could do this like John Pangnark, whose subtle and refined carving style distilled the human figure to its pristine essence. This Figure has the barest hints of human form; a minimally carved and etched face, and two simple notches for the arms. From there the work blurs into abstraction, with broad planes on either side that feature their own, more amorphous features, surrounded by Pangnark’s subtle file marks. Despite its simplicity, this work has a stoic charm to it, a quiet yet forceful presence that holds itself against the Arctic elements. References: for similarly styled works by the artist see First Arts, 28 May 2019, Lot 13 (and again 13 July 2021, Lot 62); Darlene Wight, The Swinton Collection of Inuit Art, (Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1987) cat. 37 or Norman Zepp, Pure Vision: The Keewatin Spirit, (Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery, 1986), cat. 36; Jean Blodgett, Grasp Tight the Old Ways: Selections from the Klamer Collection of Inuit Art, (Art Gallery of Ontario, 1983), p. 160; Gerald McMaster ed., Inuit Modern: The Samuel and Esther Sarick Collection, (Art Gallery of Ontario, 2010), p. 158; George Swinton, Sculpture of the Inuit, (Toronto: M&S, 1972/92), fig. 609. For fine works by the artist, large and small, see First Arts Auctions, May 2019, Lot 31; Dec. 2020, Lot 88 (a world record auction price for the artist); Jul. 2021, Lots 32, 61; Nov. 2021, Lots 38, 39; July 2022, Lots 39, 78; Dec. 2022, Lots 41, 121, 171; June 2023, Lots 72, 73; Dec. 2023, Lots 82, and 135. See also Walker’s Auctions, 16 May 2018, Lots 8 and 86. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

CHRISTIAN WHITE (1962-) OLD MASSET, HAIDA GWAII Sgaan (Supernatural Being), 2007 argillite and catlinite, 9.5 x 7.75 x 4.75 in (24.1 x 19.7 x 12.1 cm) titled, signed with artist's stylized initials, dated, and inscribed, ‘“Sgaan” / Supernatural being / CW 07 / Haida Gwaii’. Provenance Acquired directly from the artist by the present Private Collection, UK, accompanied by a photo of the artist holding the work. Christian White has titled this piece Sgaan or Supernatural Being, referring not to one particular story but the many stories where the natural and supernatural worlds interconnect. The Haida were exceptional ocean travelers and navigated some of the most treacherous waterways in the world – traveling great distances for trade, ceremony and warfare. There are many stories of encounters with the real and supernatural creatures of the sea – ones that dictated adverse weather, tides, currents, and giant swells – smashing canoes and transforming humans into sea creatures. One of the most classic stories is of Nanasimigat and the Whale: a killer whale becomes infatuated with a human and lures her into the undersea kingdom. Her rescue is dictated by Kugann Jaad (Mouse Woman), who often provides knowledge of the supernatural world to humans to help balance the scales. Christian White is one of Canada’s most celebrated artists. It was obvious from a young age that he was a gifted carver; a collection of his carvings – all produced before turning twenty – was donated to the Saahlinda Naay Haida Museum in Skidegate, and a Raven Dancer sculpture carved when he was twenty-one was acquired for the permanent collection of the UBC Museum of Anthropology. His pieces are defined by elaborate use of inlays and narrative depictions of Haida myths that capture a specific moment in the story. In this sculpture, the female figure is riding on the arched back of the killer whale, clinging to the exaggerated dorsal fin as it is about to plunge to the ocean depths, merging together the lives of creatures from two distinct worlds. White’s sculptures are meant to be experienced both in the hand, understanding the tactile decisions made by the artist, and visually, with many carved details such as the human face in the blow hole and a few carefully placed inlays of catlinite to add to the visual experience. White’s work is included in many museum and private collections. He continues to live in Haida Gwaii and contributes to the cultural fabric of the Haida, including producing totem poles, canoes, and a ceremonial longhouse. In January of 2025, The Bill Reid Gallery in Vancouver will open the first retrospective exhibition of his art with an accompanying catalogue. This exhibition will be the first opportunity to see a larger collection of his work, and the first time that the Haida will have the opportunity to see a full collection by one of their master artists. References: The work of Christian White can be found be in the following publications: Totems to Turquoise – Native North American Jewelry Arts of the Northwest and Southwest, Harry N. Abrams Inc. in association with the American Museum of Natural History; Challenging Traditions – Contemporary First Nations Art of the Northwest Coast, Ian Thom, Douglas & McIntyre Publishers; Mythic Beings – Spirit Art of the Northwest Coa/st, Gary Wyatt, Douglas & McIntyre Publishers; Manawa – Pacific Heartbeat, Nigel Reading and Gary Wyatt; Seekers and Travellers – Contemporary Art of the Pacific Northwest Coast. He is also featured in numerous solo and group gallery exhibition catalogues. Gary Wyatt The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

UNIDENTIFIED TLINGIT ARTIST, CHILKAT KWAAN Child's Robe, c. 1920s woven wool, dye, and cedar bark, 30 x 29 in (76.2 x 73.7 cm), measurements reflect dimensions with fringe Provenance Collection of John and Joyce Price, Seattle, WA. This child-sized Chilkat style woven robe displays a design of indeterminate identity, a common feature of smaller robe designs, which are too small to support the typical level of detail. Nonetheless it is divided into a central and two lateral design areas, each of which displays a simplified yet satisfying arrangement of design elements including eyes and paired U-shapes. In the central design panel, the placement of eyes and a mask-like face suggest a complete being, including ears. However, these eyes are not set within an ovoid as is the usual case in a formline design. Careful examination also reveals that there is no distinct mouth structure or other details present in a true formline face. When worn, however, the design would appear more complete than it does spread out flat, which was surely within the intent of the pattern board painter. Other than a slight difference in the length/width proportions common to most Chilkat-style robes, this diminutive example expertly represents the weaving tradition and all robes large and small that have come before it. Steven C. Brown References: See Cheryl Samuel, The Chilkat Dancing Blanket, (Norman: Univ. of Oklahoma Press, 1990); page 203 of this book features a photograph of a four-year-old girl wearing a child’s dancing blanket. See also the section on Chilkat blankets in George Thornton Emmons and Frederica de Laguna, The Tlingit Indians, (AMNH and Univ. of Washington Press, 1991) pp. 224-233. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

UNIDENTIFIED KODIAK or CHUGACH ALUTIIQ (SUGPIAQ) MAKER Open Basket with Alternating Wove Patterns, 19th century spruce root and maidenhair fern, 9.5 x 12 x 12 in (24.1 x 30.5 x 30.5 cm) Provenance Important Private Collection, Pittsburgh, PA. Alutiiq spruce root baskets are a little-known 19th century basket type that superficially resemble Tlingit baskets from the same time period. Primarily collected in the 19th century from Kodiak Island, Prince William Sound, and Sitka, Alaska, many of the known examples of these baskets either reside in European and Russian collections or have been reattributed from pieces previously considered Tlingit. The first dedicated study of Alutiiq spruce root baskets was by anthropologist Molly Lee in 1981, who noted that while superficially similar to Tlingit baskets, there are several key, consistent features that distinguish them. Lee notes that unlike Tlingit baskets, all Alutiiq spruce baskets featured “concentric rings of three-strand twining on the base,” and that Alutiiq basket makers utilized a different, inner part of the spruce root that gave their baskets “a matte appearance” when compared to the Tlingit baskets in her sample. Lee also notes that Tlingit and Alutiiq design patterns differ in the latter being subdivided into primary and secondary fields. The primary field, on roughly the top half of the basket, is composed of several banded patterns, while the secondary field (covering roughly the bottom half) is comprised of rows of dashes, dots, or a combination of the two. [1] This basket features what Lee identifies as a combination “tern tail/shark’s tooth” pattern [2] in the primary field. The bottom half is composed of a series of dashes and lines in alternating colours that form a complex grid. Like other Alutiiq baskets, its decoration is accomplished through false embroidery, meaning that the pattern is visible on the outside of the basket, but not the inside. Although this basket is difficult to date firmly without a detailed collection history, it likely dates to the third or fourth quarter of the 19th century and is in very good condition for its age. 1. Molly Lee. "If It's Not a Tlingit Basket, Then What Is It?": Toward the Definition of an Alutiiq Twined Spruce Root Basket Type. Arctic anthropology. 2006; 43: 164-171. 2. ibid. Christopher W. Smith The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

NIVIAQSI (NIVIAKSIAK) (1908-1959) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) Two Bears Hunting, 1959 (Dorset Series) Printmaker: IYOLA KINGWATSIAK (1933-2000) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) stonecut, 16.5 x 21 in (41.9 x 53.3 cm) 8/50 Provenance Private Collection, Ontario; by descent in the family. Niviaqsi's legacy is inextricably woven with the Polar Bear, a connection that resonates powerfully through this magnificent print. In Two Bears Hunting we encounter two white polar bear forms that are gracefully simplified, their contours flowing without unnecessary detail. The left bear stands with an air of quiet strength, while the one on the right is presented in a bowing posture, engaged in an act of scenting or foraging or, perhaps, play. The starkness of their white bodies against the blue ground is arresting, emphasizing their presence and drawing the viewer's gaze. The brilliant blue inked background is punctuated with uninked spots that expose the sheet beneath to create a visual effect that is reminiscent of stars or gently falling snow. Two Bears Hunting is part of the Dorset Series, a collection of approximately seventy prints also referred to as the Dorset Collection, Northern Collection, or Northern Releases. Unlike the catalogued annual Cape Dorset print collections, these prints were not distributed through southern galleries. Instead, they were sold locally and informally to visitors via the West Baffin Eskimo Co-op, making them relatively rare in the art market compared to the more widely available "regular" prints. References: Susan Gustavison, Arctic Expressions: Inuit Art and the Canadian Eskimo Arts Council 1961-1989, (Kleinburg: McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 1994), cat. 42. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

JOSEPHIE POOTOOGOOK (1887-1958) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) With the Raven Comes the Fish, 1959 #26 Printmaker: KANANGINAK POOTOOGOOK, R.C.A. (1935-2010) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) stonecut, 17.75 x 12 in (45.1 x 30.5 cm), irregular 15/50 Provenance Collection of John & Joyce Price, Seattle This evocative scene employs a minimalist approach with the print predominantly in solid black, while white highlights on the clothing and kakivak (spear) add a subtle gleam, enhancing depth and contrast. Mirroring the hunter's starkness, a fish below the waterline, its belly similarly illuminated, seems to be drawn towards the hunter's lure, oblivious to the man’s leister that is poised to plunge. Above the tense fishing tableau, a raven is rendered in a simple silhouette, its eye a solitary detail in negative space. While it is not made clear in any known literature, With the Raven Comes the Fish might well imply that a bird’s circling presence heralds a hidden shoal beneath the water’s surface. Pootoogook matured living a traditional Arctic lifestyle, where fishing was vital to sustained existence, making it crucial to discern such signs in the natural environment. It is little wonder, then, that he chose to depict this scene to underscore the deep interdependence between nature and survival. References: This print is reproduced in Christine Lalonde and Leslie Boyd Ryan, Uuturautiit: Cape Dorset 1959-2009, (Ottawa: National Gallery of Canada, 2009), cat. 36, p. 36. Josephie Pootoogook was one of the elders that James Houston asked to “come on board” with the printmaking program in the late 1950s, to ensure its success. Pootooogook obliged and became one of the stars of the 1959 inaugural collection. He contributed seven prints including the iconic Joyfully I See Ten Caribou. Sadly, Pootoogook died in 1958 but his legacy lived on through his talented artist sons Kananginak, Eegyvudluk, and Paulassie. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

TIMANGIAQ PETAULASSIE (1940-) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) Birds in the Arctic Sea, 1960 #63 Printmaker: KANANGINAK POOTOOGOOK, R.C.A. (1935-2010) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) stonecut, 24.25 x 29.25 in (61.6 x 74.3 cm), framed 24/50 Provenance Collection of John and Joyce Price, Seattle. Simplicity and motion intertwine beautifully in this work – one of a mere trio of creations by Timangiaq Petaulassie included in the annual Cape Dorset graphic collection. The print is presented with an unusual crop for this era of printmaking in Kinngait, where each bird is rendered with a simplicity that belies the complexity of their interlocked shapes atop the water. Kananginak Pootoogook's skill in stencil and stonecut artistry shines in this work, where the stenciled blue ink translates luminously as the white of the sheet glimmers through, creating an effect akin to sunlight dancing on the water’s surface. Atop the waves, the jet black ink laid with a stone block interplays with the negative space of the sheet to form these cheerful birds that bob gracefully on the cold Arctic sea. References: For the artist’s other prints, see Men at Play, 1961 #47, First Arts, 21 March 2024, Lot 20. See Walrus, 1964 (1964/5 #66). The artist is also a talented throat singer whose vocals were featured in the 1994 film On Deadly Ground. For drawings by and an interview with the artist, see Jean Blodgett & Susan Gustavison, Strange Scenes: Early Cape Dorset Drawings, (Kleinberg, ON: McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 1993), p. 76-77. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

TUDLIK (1890-1966) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) Bird Dream Forewarning Blizzards, 1959 #16 Printmaker: KINGWATSIAK (1933-2000) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) / Stone block cutter: POSSIBLY KANANGINAK POOTOOGOOK, R.C.A. (1935-2010) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) stonecut [1], 22.5 x 17 in (57.1 x 43.2 cm) 16/30 Provenance Collection of John and Joyce Price, Seattle. A seminal work in the realm of Kinngait printmaking, Bird Dream Forewarning Blizzards is notable for being the first print to have a background colour applied with a brayer before the composition itself was printed. This innovative technique gave birth to a backdrop that pulsates with an earthy red, imbuing the scene with a mottled texture that succinctly evokes the enigmatic realm of a shamanistic vision. Printer Kingwatsiak's application of saturated black ink atop the coloured ground captures the hauntingly gaunt image of a human figure that may represent the artist, Tudlik, or, more likely, a shaman immersed in a trance-induced vision of a formidable bird spirit. Shamans, revered for their supernatural powers, are believed to have the ability to perceive themselves in skeletal or transparent forms, transcending the physical plane. A key facet of their role involved forecasting or even exerting influence over the weather. Beside the man is the commanding presence of a spirit bird, a hybrid that melds human and bear traits, symbolizing the shaman's connection with powerful spiritual entities. 1. Christine Lalonde suggests that the print might be stonecut and linocut, see Christine Lalonde and Leslie Boyd Ryan, Uuturautiit: Cape Dorset 1959-2009, (Ottawa: NGC, 2009), cat. 5; James Houston identified the print as a stonecut and sealskin stencil in his article "Eskimo Graphic Art" in Canadian Art, (Jan. 1960), p. 14. References: This image has been reproduced in numerous publications including the National Museum of Man international touring exhibition catalogue The Inuit Print, (Ottawa: NMM, 1977) cat. 4; Ernst Roch ed., Arts of the Eskimo: Prints, (Montreal/Toronto: Signum/Oxford, 1974), p. 29; Norman Vorano, Inuit Prints: Japanese Inspiration, (Canadian Museum of Civilization, 2011), fig. 32. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

KIAKSHUK (1886-1966) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) Strange Scene, 1964 (1964/65 #21) Printmaker: IYOLA KINGWATSIAK (1933-2000) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) stonecut, 20 x 29.25 in (50.8 x 74.3 cm), framed, sight. 21/50 Provenance Images Art Gallery, Toronto; Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection, Toronto. Kiakshuk’s most famous print, Strange Scene is a powerfully compelling image. The oldest hunter to have become an artist in Cape Dorset, Kiakshuk was known to be a powerful shaman; he mostly steered clear of the subject in his art, but this print is a powerful reminder of this aspect of his life story. His younger cousin Pitseolak Ashoona described her memories of his drawings: “Because Kiakshuk was a very old man, he did real Eskimo drawings. He did it because he grew up that way, and I really liked the way he put the old Eskimo life on paper. I used to see Kiakshuk putting the shamans and spirits into his work on paper.” [1] Although James Houston interpreted the image as representing the Tunik giant Inukpuk, his wife, and a horror-struck hunter, Jean Blodgett and others disagree (see references). We think it likely that the menacing figure on the left (apparently holding the skin of a bear and attended by two creatures devouring a seal) is a shaman, while the other two figures are wife and husband. Indeed, they both appear horror-struck. 1. Pitseolak Ashoona and Dorothy Eber, Pitseolak: Pictures out of my life, (Montreal / Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1971), unpaginated. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

OHOTAQ MIKKIGAK (1936-2014) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) Mother and Child Composition, 1964 stone, 5.25 x 7 x 4 in (13.3 x 17.8 x 10.2 cm) signed and dated, "OHOTOK / '64"; signed again, "OHOTOK". Provenance Acquired directly from the artist by Terry Ryan, Kinngait / Toronto; Feheley Fine Arts, Toronto; Acquired from the above by John and Joyce Price, Seattle. Exhibited Feheley Fine Arts, Toronto, The Ryan Collection, May - June 1998, no cat. no, reproduced in the exh. cat., p. 36. Ohotaq and his wife Qaunaq both began carving occasionally in the 1950s and drawing in the 1960s. It was only after his retirement as caretaker of Peter Pitseolak School in 1999 that Ohotaq was lured back into making art again, becoming something of a star as a drawer of landscapes and a print artist. This tour-de-force composition was purchased from the artist by Terry Ryan and remained in his personal collection for decades. With its daring tripodal configuration and rather enigmatic accoutrements, this sculpture is a remarkable feat of both carving technique and imagination. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

PAUTA SAILA, R.C.A. (1916-2009) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) Muskox, c. 1965 stone, 7 x 9.25 x 3.75 in (17.8 x 23.5 x 9.5 cm) unsigned. Provenance Private Collection, Ottawa; by descent in the family. Although there are no records of muskoxen having inhabited Baffin Island during historical times, Kinngait artists such as Kananginak and Pudlo depicted these fascinating animals with some regularity, and even Osuitok Ipeelee did so occasionally. Pauta Saila carved them only rarely yet Muskox, a superb example from 1962, remains among his greatest masterpieces (see First Arts, 5 Dec. 2022, Lot 19). [1] This endearing Muskox is Pauta’s reprise of that famous work and dates from perhaps two or three years later. Slightly smaller and carved from a somewhat different stone, it has a similar though not identical pose. With its raised head, dainty hooves, and overall compact form, it might almost be a young animal trying to emulate its older and larger parent. (We see the same thing with some of Pauta’s bears, which look distinctly cub-like.) Muskox is a delightful and charming addition to the artist’s oeuvre. 1. This important sculpture, formerly in the Terry Ryan Collection, has been widely exhibited and published, including in Sculpture/Inuit, (cat. 142) and Swinton, (1972/92), fig. 467. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

AQJANGAJUK SHAA, R.C.A. (1937-2019) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) Two Walruses, 1976 stone and antler, 17.5 x 13.5 x 6.25 in (44.5 x 34.3 x 15.9 cm), measurements reflect depth with inset tusks, without: 5 in (12.7 cm) signed and inscribed, ???? / ??? [sic, probably Kinngait] Provenance Feheley Fine Arts, Toronto; Acquired from the above by John and Joyce Price, Seattle. Exhibited Toronto, Feheley Fine Arts, Dorset Magic: Four Decades of Sculpture from Cape Dorset, Oct - Nov 1999, no cat. no. Aqjangajuk began to carve in the 1950s while still in his teens and would go on to establish himself as one of Cape Dorset’s premier artists. Throughout his lengthy career Aqjangajuk portrayed a richly varied repertoire of dynamic subjects, but in his later years preferred to concentrate on solitary dancing drummers and “dancing” walruses. This powerful yet surprisingly charming composition is a somewhat atypical work for the artist; the two rather lithe and sinuous walruses are portrayed as playful opposites and are almost interconnected but for a small gap at the top. The right side up walrus seems to be trying to avoid the thrashing tail of his cavorting upside-down mate. Wonderful References: For major works by the artist see George Swinton, Sculpture of the Inuit, (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1972/92), figs. 476-480, 894. For an early (1963) version that already clearly exhibits Aqjaganjuk’s penchant for dramatically posed animal subjects see Darlene Coward Wight,The Jerry Twomey Collection, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 2003), p. 57; and Jean Blodgett, Cape Dorset, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1980), cat. 64, p. 99. For an example from 2002 see Derek Norton and Nigel Reading, Cape Dorset Sculpture, (Vancouver: Douglas and McIntrye, 2005), p. 92. For another example of Aqjangajuk’s powerful sculptural style see Ingo Hessel, Inuit Art: An Introduction, (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre / New York: Harry Abrams / London: British Museum Press, 1998), pl. 66, p. 88. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

LATCHOLASSIE AKESUK (1919-2000) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) Mother Owl and Chick, c. 1970 stone, 3.75 x 6 x 4.5 in (9.5 x 15.2 x 11.4 cm) unsigned. Provenance Collection of John and Joyce Price, Seattle. The son of the late great Tudlik (1890-1966), Latcholassie apprenticed at the feet of one of the most beloved first-generation Cape Dorset sculptors. Latcholassie inherited not only his father’s skill but also his love of owls. As Jean Blodgett eloquently writes, “On the one hand Latcholassie tends to concentrate on the basic shape and configuration of his form, doing little detail work or surface decoration… On the other hand, even within these restrictions, Latcholassie’s presentation of his bird subjects is richly varied. By changes in such things as size, proportion, position, and attributes, he imbues his bird subjects with individuality and character.” [1] This charming sculpture has an interesting visual tension, and we love the endearing expressions of both mother and chick. 1. Jean Blodgett, Selections from The John and Mary Robertson Collection of Inuit Sculpture, (Kingston: Agnes Etherington Art Centre, 1986), p. 35. References: For classic works by the artist see George Swinton, Sculpture of the Inuit, (Toronto: M&S, 1972/92), figs. 469-475; Canadian Eskimo Arts Council, Sculpture/Inuit, (University of Toronto Press, 1971) cats. 189, 192-194; Jean Blodgett, Grasp Tight the Old Ways: Selections from the Klamer Family Collection of Inuit Art, (Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario), cats. 64-65. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

NICK SIKKUARK (1943-2013) UQSUQTUUQ (GJOA HAVEN) Somersaulting Figure, c. 1990 or later antler and stone, 4.5 x 9 x 1.25 in (11.4 x 22.9 x 3.2 cm) unsigned. Provenance A Toronto Collection. This lithe and sinuous figure is an elegant example of Sikkuark’s meticulous craftsmanship and fertile imagination. Absent the trademark addition of sundry natural materials such as horn and fur it is unclear whether it was intended to depict a shaman. This attenuated figure looks gaunt yet also agile, even athletic, like a gymnast or diver caught mid-somersault. It is quite possible that Sikkuark simply saw the potential offered by a meandering section of caribou antler which could be transformed into an atypical yet wonderful work of art. For an overview of this talented artist’s work see the new catalogue from the National Gallery of Canada: Christine Lalonde et al, Nick Sikkuark: Humour and Horror, (Ottawa: National Gallery of Canada, 2023). The catalogue includes numerous works in antler. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

PEGGY EKAGINA (1919-1992) KUGLUKTUK (COPPERMINE) Female Muskox Shaman, 1974 stone, 5.75 x 14.25 x 4.5 in (14.6 x 36.2 x 11.4 cm) dated and signed, "74 / EKAGINA". Provenance Private Collection, BC; Maynard's Fine Art & Antiques, Richmond, BC, 24 April 2019, Lot 228; Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection, Ontario. Ekagina began carving in the mid 1950s and is widely considered to be the most important Kugluktuk artist. Large pieces of stone were hard to come by in the community, which explains why the great majority of carvings are small figures, or tableau-style works pieced together on bases (the best-known being igloo scenes with removable tops). Ekagina forged her own path, creating mostly animal-human transformation imagery in the form of lovely and haunting sea goddess-like creatures or female shamans. Most are quite small, but Female Muskox Shaman is impressively large, very similar to an example in the Winnipeg Art Gallery collection illustrated in Hessel, Inuit Art: An Introduction (1998), fig. 39, p. 52. Our version is just as powerfully built yet carved with great sensitivity. We love the way the horns might be mistaken as part of the hairdo framing the woman’s gentle face. References: For another unusually large and impressive Female Muskox Shaman in the collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery see Ingo Hessel, Inuit Art: An Introduction, (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre / New York: Harry Abrams / London: British Museum Press, 1998), pl. 39, p. 52. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

THULE CULTURE OR EARLY HISTORIC PERIOD INUIT ARTIST, POSSIBLY POND INLET AREA Female Figurine, 19th century or earlier walrus tusk, 3 x 0.75 x 0.25 in (7.6 x 1.9 x 0.6 cm) Provenance Collected by William Melville MacLean (1888-1978), the Canadian Post Office official travelling to Hudson Bay, Baffin Island, and Craig Harbour on Ellesmere Island aboard the famous Arctic icebreaker Nascopie when it was rechristened the R.M.S. [Royal Mail Ship] Nascopie in 1935; by descent in the family. With its elongated and simplified overall form and minimal features delicately incised onto face and torso, its broad shoulders with truncated arms, and a distinctive topknot, this charming work of art apparently has many of the hallmarks of a Thule-style female figurine. Traded to the original collector in 1935, it is unclear if it was scores or perhaps a couple of hundred years old at the time; almost another century has passed since then. Given its small size, it may have been carved as an amulet and not a toy. This ivory figurine possesses naïveté and elegance in equal measure. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

INUIT AND POSSIBLY THULE CULTURE MAKERS, EASTERN CANADIAN ARCTIC Four Bird Game Pieces, before 1935 mediums variable, walrus tusk / walrus tusk and black pigment, the largest: 0.75 x 1.75 x 0.75 in (1.9 x 4.4 x 1.9 cm) Provenance Collected by William Melville MacLean (1888-1978), the Canadian Post Office official travelling to Hudson Bay, Baffin Island, and Craig Harbour on Ellesmere Island aboard the famous Arctic icebreaker Nascopie when it was rechristened the R.M.S. [Royal Mail Ship] Nascopie in 1935; by descent in the family Small, delicate figures of swimming birds (and sometimes bird-women) were carved already in Thule times and may have been used as amulets. At some point in the Historic Period, they began to be used as gaming pieces by Inuit, who continued to carve the bird figures, usually in more simplified form. At least one of these four pieces is clearly older and are incised with typical Thule-style dot patterns. Likely made by four different artists and at different times, these pieces beautifully encapsulate the stylistic evolution of traditional Inuit artmaking. References: For more examples of Thule Culture gaming pieces see George Swinton, Sculpture of the Inuit, (Toronto: M&S, 1972/92), figs. 164-165. See also Canadian Eskimo Arts Council, Sculpture / Inuit: Masterworks of the Canadian Arctic, (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1971), cats. 44-53; Ingo Hessel, Inuit Art: An Introduction, (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1998) pl. 12, pp. 18-19. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

PROBABLY AN EARLY HISTORIC PERIOD INUIT MAKER, POSSIBLY POND INLET AREA Comb, possibly late 19th century walrus tusk, 3.25 x 1 x 0.125 in (8.3 x 2.5 x 0.3 cm) Provenance Collected by William Melville MacLean (1888-1978), the Canadian Post Office official travelling to Hudson Bay, Baffin Island, and Craig Harbour on Ellesmere Island aboard the famous Arctic icebreaker Nascopie when it was rechristened the R.M.S. [Royal Mail Ship] Nascopie in 1935; by descent in the family. Thule Culture art is renowned for its elegantly fashioned ivory tools and personal implements, usually quite simply carved but often beautifully engraved with abstract symbolic designs. This lovely comb probably dates from somewhat later, in the Historic Period, but following the Thule design tradition. While it lacks engraved designs, the comb’s form is elegantly tapered rather than square and ends in an interesting – and probably symbolic – harpoon point shape. One can imagine that it might have been suspended with a thong almost like an amulet. References: For two examples of Thule Culture combs see George Swinton, Sculpture of the Inuit, (Toronto: M&S, 1972/92), figs. 166-167. See also Canadian Eskimo Arts Council, Sculpture / Inuit: Masterworks of the Canadian Arctic, (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1971), cats. 67-69. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

UNIDENTIFIED NUU-CHAH-NULTH ARTIST Wrangell Island Raven Pole Model Totem, c. 1910 cedar wood and pigment, 28 x 5.75 x 5.5 in (71.1 x 14.6 x 14 cm) unsigned. Provenance A Vancouver Collection. This model pole was produced by an as-yet-unidentified Nuu-chah-nulth carver who worked for the Ye Olde Curiosity Shop in Seattle, Washington, in the first quarter of the 20th century. Poles by this same maker are illustrated on page 173 in the book 1001 Curious Things: Ye Olde Curiosity Shop and Native American Art. [1] This large model totem depicts the Tlingit Chief Shakes Raven pole of Wrangell, Alaska. The original pole was carved by Tlingit artist William Ukas (1834-1903) in the late 19th century and was later recreated by the artists of the Civilian Conservation Corps. It was one of the most copied poles of the curio trade in the first half of the 20th century, especially by Nuu-chah-nulth artists working in Seattle. The pole tells the story of Raven bringing the sun, moon, and stars to humanity and depicts, from top: Grandfather Raven in woven hat, the Box of Daylight, Mother Raven, Raven as a human child, and a human figure. The pole is painted in red, green, black, and yellow paints and the back of the pole is shallowly scooped out. 1. Kate Duncan, 1001 Curious Things: Ye Olde Curiosity Shop and Native American Art, (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2001), p. 173. Christopher W. Smith The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

ARTHUR SHAUGHNESSY (HEMASILAKW) (1884-1945) KWAKWA_KA_'WAKW Model Totem Pole, c. 1930s carved wood and acrylic paint, 31.5 x 13.25 x 4.25 in (80 x 33.7 x 10.8 cm) signed, "Arthur / Gordon / Alert Bay / B.C.". Provenance Private Collection, Calgary, AB. Arthur Shaughnessy was an important 20th century Kwakwa_ka_’wakw artist whose work figures into the history of the Northwest Coast Hall in the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City. In 1924, having just been released from jail for participating in a potlatch, Shaughnessy was commissioned by ethnologist George Hunt (Tlingit, 1854-1933) on behalf of the AMNH to carve four house posts for their Northwest Coast Hall. [1] These poles still stand in the newly renovated, collaborative space. Shaughnessy also took over teaching art at the St. Michael’s Residential School in Alert Bay after Charlie James (Kwakwa_ka_’wakw, 1870-1938) passed away. [2] This larger model pole features, from top: Kulus (young thunderbird), human (perhaps a medicine man, noting the apron), and eagle. Like his contemporaries, Shaughnessy mostly created forms on his poles through precise painting, although this pole has significantly more carving than most of his model pieces, especially around all of the eyes, the folded wings of the bottom bird, and the human figure’s face and apron. 1. Aldona Jonaitis, From the Land of the Totem Poles: The Northwest Coast Indian Art Collection at the American Museum of Natural History, (New York: American Museum of Natural History, 1988), p. 232. 2. Ira Jacknis, The Storage Box of Tradition: Kwakiutl Art, Anthropologists, and Museums, 1881-1981, (Washington, D.C: Smithsonian Institution Press, 2002), p. 285. Christopher W. Smith References: For a model totem pole by the artist, in the collection of the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Seattle, see Michael D. Hall and Pat Glascock, Carvings and Commerce: Model Totem Poles 1880-2010, (Saskatoon: Mendel Art Gallery / Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2011), cat. 84, p. 113. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

UNIDENTIFIED TLINGIT ARTIST Model Totem Pole, c. 1930s or 1940s wood and pigment, 27.25 x 6.5 x 6 in (69.2 x 16.5 x 15.2 cm) unsigned. Provenance Private Collection, New York, NY. This model pole features, from top: jumping killer whale, seal, bear (?), diving raven, two descending killer whales, human, two smaller human faces, and an anthropomorphic face. This pole is carved in red cedar, and while some figures conform to known visual styles, such as the killer whales and diving raven, some of the figures on this pole and the painting style are so idiosyncratic that it is difficult to assign it to a particular First Nation or time period. Based on the killer whales and diving raven figure, it is most likely that this pole is Tlingit in origin. Even so, the surface and paint do show some signs of age and the overall composition is visually compelling. Christopher W. Smith The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

JIMMY JOHN (1876-1988), MOWACHAHT/MUCHALAHT (NUU-CHAH-NULTH) Model Totem Pole, c. 1950s wood and pigment, 19.5 x 17 x 4.5 in (49.5 x 43.2 x 11.4 cm) unsigned. Provenance A Vancouver Collection. Jimmy John was an important maker who worked in a variety of media through the 20th century, but he is best known for his model poles. Working for nearly a century, his style of carving and painting changed to meet the demands of the market as well his own needs and abilities as he aged. His earliest works were fully sculptural and featured a lot of bright paints; later, he reduced his palette to just red and black, and eventually abandoned paint altogether in favour of a distinctive chip-style of carving. This pole reflects John’s mid-career style, utilizing red and black paints to create complex and dense designs across its entire surface. It features a raven with a woven hat and spread wings over a bear holding a human figure. The painting is exquisite and plays with positive and negative space within the formline, which depicts killer whale-like forms on the chest of the bird and along the tops of the wings. The pole is mounted on a scalloped, round base. Christopher W. Smith References: For three earlier examples of Jimmy John model totems (c. 1930) see Martha Black, HuupuKanum Tupaat: Out of the Mist: Treasures of the Nuu-chah-nulth Chiefs, (Victoria: Royal BC Museum, 1999), p. 111. For models of the Captain Jack house posts by the artist in the RBCM Collection see ibid., p. 69; these are also illustrated in Michael D. Hall and Pat Glascock, Carvings and Commerce: Model Totem Poles 1880-2010, (Saskatoon: Mendel Art Gallery / Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2011), cat. 91, p. 116. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

DOUG ZILKIE (1961-), NON-INDIGENOUS War Helmet, 1991 alder wood, operculum, horse hair, acrylic paint, 7.5 x 11.25 x 11.25 in (19.1 x 28.6 x 28.6 cm), measurements reflect dimensions without fringe and custom made metal stand. signed and dated, "DOUG ZILKIE 1991". Provenance A Vancouver Collection. Doug Zilkie is a non-Indigenous artist who began his career as an assistant to Haida master artist, Bill Reid. He worked with Reid on several major commissions, including being one of the eighteen artisans employed for the creation of the monumental sculpture The Spirit of Haida Gwaii. Zilkie has also worked with his friend and mentor, Don Yeomans, on numerous projects. Following the completion of The Spirit of Haida Gwaii, Zilkie was offered a position as caretaker for an island fishing lodge in receivership; he moved his young family to be the sole inhabitants, a temporary posting that would last for several years. The island had stands of great forest that he was welcome to harvest, provided it was for sculptures being created while stationed at the camp. Zilkie was allowed to remove only sculptures finished or in progress and asked not to leave with a stockpile of cut cedar. He roughed out a number of large-scale pieces (in various stages of completion, which he took home and finished at a later date). This process allowed him to place large, extraordinary pieces on the market, all within a relatively short period of time. This war helmet is a variation on northern style helmets used in battles; these often had an attached visor for mouth and neck protection. Further body armor was constructed from hides with hard wooden plates (often carved and painted). Some of these battles were fought one-on-one by warriors from two rival nations — demanding a show of superior artistry as well as battle skills. Elements such as the horsehair inlays could reference hair harvested from slaves taken as a spoil of war, and the operculum shell inlay may reference access to shells through trade routes and alliances with other villages and chiefs. Gary Wyatt The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

CHRISTIAN WHITE (1962-) OLD MASSET, HAIDA GWAII Earth Mother Weeping, 2006 patinated bronze, 10.25 x 9.75 x 6.5 in (26 x 24.8 x 16.5 cm), measurements reflect dimensions with stone base. inscribed, signed with artist's stylized initials, dated, and numbered, "HAIDA GWAII / CW 06 / 3/12". Provenance Private Collection, UK. Christian White is one of the foremost argillite carvers in history. The demand for his work has always been high and, consequently, they leave the studio upon completion and have a very short display time in galleries (often sold before they can be publicly viewed). Wanting to make his work more accessible, White began to consider bronze casting in the 1990s. Editions would allow his work to be seen in multiple locations and have a sustained presence in galleries. Bronze is not inexpensive to cast but for master artists like Christian White, it can offer a price point that allows more collectors the opportunity to own his work. Earth Mother Weeping is cast from an original argillite sculpture which Christian knew was an exceptionally large sculpture for the medium, with strong details that also could be captured in the casting mold. To date, this 2006 bronze edition is still the only one he has produced. The story of Weeping Earth Mother is told in many parts with an underlying moral that requires respecting protocols and historic teachings and protecting the natural world. Many variations of the story exist. Here is one: Three boys who disrespected a headdress during a ceremony are cast out to cool down, calm the tensions, and spend time in the forest to learn its many secrets. While fishing, they come across a frog, which tries to weave between them to reach the water. After its several failed attempts, the boys cast the frog into the fire. Weeping Earth Mother, who knows and treats all the forest creatures as her children, notices that the frog is missing and after a search, discovers it in the charred ashes at the abandoned camp site. She visits the village, requests an audience with the chief, and demands punishment for the needless taking of a life. Her hag-like appearance receives jeers and comments, but at least one woman understands that this is a person of great knowledge and power. Weeping Earth Mother returns to the forest after warning of severe repercussions for ignoring her demands. The woman from the village grabs her child and heads to higher ground. Soon the mountain erupts, and the village is lost in the lava. The survivors cross the hardened lava, and finding a canoe they depart for a distant village bearing a story of great importance. Throughout Haida Gwaii and the northern mainland there are signs of volcanic eruptions that were major events in history. Gary Wyatt The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

FRED DAVIS (1955-2014) HAIDA Spirit of the Orca, c. late 1990s mastodon walrus tusk, abalone, wood, and testing 18 kt gold, 2.5 x 2.25 x 1.5 in (6.3 x 5.7 x 3.8 cm) inscribed on the base in an unknown hand, "648"; unsigned. Provenance Spirit Wrestler Gallery, Vancouver, BC; Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection, UK. Fred Davis is ranked among the very best by his peer Haida artists. He was largely known for miniatures carved in argillite, wood, gold, silver and ivory, often using inlays for added details. His early work was mostly in argillite but he transitioned to wood as he pursued new levels of detail and perfection in the round. Due to his obsession in detail, he preferred sculptures in miniature rather than jewellery which allowed him to push both his interest in narrative story-telling and exceptional detail, demanding that the sculpture be held in the hand or studied at close range. He had one solo exhibition at the Derek Simpkins Gallery of Tribal Art in Vancouver which opened in 1994 and it required years to complete the nine pieces included in the catalogue. Following this exhibition, his work was largely acquired by a local private / corporate collection which bought most of the pieces completed between 1995 and his death in 2014. Spirit of the Orca references the ghost-like appearance of the whale, carved in translucent ivory with thin tapered fins and an exaggerated dorsal fin that allows light to activate the sculpture. The abalone shell base mimics the water patterns and reflects more light into the arching whale. Small, well-placed inlays bring the forms to life and draws the viewer into the fine details that can only be experienced at close range. Gary Wyatt The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

JAMES DANIEL SAWYER (1969-) HAIDA, MASSET Eagle and Hummingbird Bracelet, 2005 testing 14 kt gold, 0.5 x 2.5 x 2 in (1.3 x 6.3 x 5.1 cm), circumference: 7 in (17.8 cm), 28.5 g titled, dated, inscribed and signed with artist's initials, "EAGLE + HUMMINGBIRD / '05 / 14k / JS". Provenance Spirit Wrestler Gallery, Vancouver, BC; Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection, UK James Sawyer is a Haida artist and a descendant of the Skidegate Giidins Clan. Despite being born and raised in Vancouver, he maintained close family connections and an affinity to Haida art through his uncle, Doug Wilson. He would move to Haida Gwaii in 1992 to be closer to his Haida culture and to work among some of the major Haida artists. He has been a career artist since 1997. He works largely in silver and gold, producing classic examples of Haida jewellery with tight crosshatching and sharp details. The Haida have only two clans or moieties, Eagle and Raven, which control marriage and the inheritance of important positions. The Hummingbird has become more common in jewellery because it is a reference to good luck and travellers seek it on long journeys as a sign of a safe and prosperous trip. It is therefore ideally suited for the wrist of anyone moving throughout the world. Gary Wyatt The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

KIAKSHUK (1886-1966) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) Standing Mother and Child, early 1960s stone, 7.25 x 4.25 x 3 in (18.4 x 10.8 x 7.6 cm) unsigned. Provenance Estate of Nina Rodale Houston, wife of the late Arthur A. Houghton [1], President of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Carmichael Farm, Queenstown Maryland; Potomack Company, Alexandria, VA, 22 October 2020, Lot 8028; Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection, Ontario. [1] Arthur Houghton may have acquired this work through his association with James Houston. Carved from the distinctively sharp green Kinngait stone so indicative of the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, this work is a lovely, gentle depiction by Kiakshuk. The mother stands, gesturing to the viewer and speaking, or at least meaning to with an open mouth. Her young child wants to be involved in the conversation, having forced its head far out of the hood to peer at the viewer as well. The mother’s body is subtly tilted to take the weight of the child leaning forward, a pose many mothers know well! The details of this scene are simple and definitive, much like Kiakshuk’s drawn and printed lines; a gently curving hairline on the mother that peaks from her hood, the thick, comforting trim around the hood itself, and the low swoop of the amautiq tail, all small details that bring a work to life. References: For a similarly styled Mother and Child by the artist, see First Arts, Toronto, 5 December 2022, Lot 9, and First Arts, Toronto, 30 November 2021, Lot 43. For another figure of a woman by Kiakshuk, see Feheley Fine Arts, The Ryan Collection, (Toronto: Feheley Fine Arts, 1998), p. 8. For another see Feheley Fine Arts, Cross-Currents: Cape Dorset in the 1960s, (Toronto: Feheley Fine Arts, 2001), cat. 55. For a brief overview of the artist, see Jean Blodgett, Grasp Tight the Old Ways: Selections from the Klamer Family Collection of Inuit Art, (Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 1983), pp. 98-101. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

QAQAQ (KAKA) ASHOONA (1928-1996) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) Woman in an Amautiq, c. early-mid 1950s stone, 9.5 x 7 x 3.25 in (24.1 x 17.8 x 8.3 cm) unsigned. Provenance An Ottawa Collection. Son of the beloved graphic artist Pitseolak and brother to the gifted sculptor Kiugak, Qaqaq stands at the pinnacle of Cape Dorset sculpture from the mid 1950s, alongside the great Niviaqsi and Sheokjuk Oqutaq. This lovely woman is carved from an incredibly dense and heavy stone which was in common usage in Dorset prior to the discovery of local serpentine quarries. We suspect that the charmingly rustic style of this work dates it to the earlier part of the 1950s. We love how the joyous smile on the subject’s face radiates warmth and personality. References: See the section on Qaqaq Ashoona in Darlene Coward Wight’s catalogue, Early Masters: Inuit Sculpture 1949-1955, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 2006), pages 144-147. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

JAMASIE TEEVEE (1910-1985) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) Standing Owl, c. 1960 stone, 8.25 x 3.75 x 4.25 in (21 x 9.5 x 10.8 cm) signed, "???". Provenance Private Collection, Ottawa. One can easily be forgiven for mistaking this charming Standing Owl as a work by either Tudlik or Latcholassie Akesuk. At first glance the sculpture appears to owe a stylistic debt to the father and son duo, but on closer inspection one notices distinct differences. Birds by Tudlik tend to be short and stout, whereas this sprightly fellow seems rather lean and lanky. We love this owl’s rather bemused expression. Jamasie Teevee was a highly regarded graphic artist, but only a very few sculptures by him have been documented. We wish he had carved more. References: Jamasie Teevee was a beloved graphic artist in Cape Dorset. Over a career that spanned about twenty years his images were used in almost one hundred Cape Dorset prints. Jamasie experimented enthusiastically with engraving and lithography techniques as well as submitting drawings that were translated into stonecut prints. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

KUPPAPIK RAGEE (1931-1995) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) Sea Spirit or Shaman, early 1960s stone, 9 x 18 x 3 in (22.9 x 45.7 x 7.6 cm) signed, "???". Provenance Maynard's Fine Art & Antiques, 6 November 2019, Lot 157; Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection, Ontario. The early 1960s saw numerous Kinngait artists focus on subjects related to the spirit world (see First Arts Nov. 30, 2021, Lot 21 and Dec. 4, 2023, Lot 51), thus preserving a vital aspect of Inuit culture in the face of tremendous change. This large and beautiful sculpture depicts either a sea spirit or a shaman transforming into a sea creature. If the latter, the shaman might be swimming to the ocean depths to find and placate an angry Sedna in the hope that she might release her bounty. While we have offered several sculptures attributed to the artist, this powerful opus clearly bears his signature. References: For a similar work by the artist see Inuit Gallery of Vancouver, Classic Inuit, cat. 12, p. 13. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

JOHN KAVIK (1897-1993) KANGIQLINIQ (RANKIN INLET) Waving Man, c. 1973-75 stone, 9.5 x 6.25 x 3.25 in (24.1 x 15.9 x 8.3 cm) signed, “??”; inscribed in black ink, possibly by Stanley Zazelenchuk, "John Kavik / 75". Provenance Collection of Stanley and Jean Zazelenchuk, New Brunswick, purchased in 1973 or 1975 at the Sanavik Co-op, Baker Lake. Kavik lived for decades in Utkuhiksalingmiut territory near Chantrey Inlet well north of Qamani’tuaq (Baker Lake) – he was a childhood friend of Luke Anguhadluq – and was relocated there before settling in Rankin Inlet. He regularly visited family and friends in Baker Lake including his daughter the celebrated textile artist Naomi Ityi, and often carved there while “on vacation.” Kavik carved Waving Man in the stone favoured by Baker Lake sculptors at the time. It was no doubt harder than that which he normally used, but it polished well and lends this fine sculpture – one that is pure Kavik in its ruggedness and stance – a soupçon of elegance. References: For a large Mother and Child, by the artist, formerly in the Wagonfeld collection, see Survival: Inuit Art, (Loveland, CO: Loveland Museum Gallery, 2004), p. 98, and Walker’s Auctions, Inuit Art: Masterpieces from the Wagonfeld Collection, (May 2016, Lot 26). For the section on John Kavik in Norman Zepp, Pure Vision: The Keewatin Spirit, (Regina: Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery, 1986), see pages 108-119. For an appreciation of the artist and his work see Stanley Zazelenchuk, “Kavik: The Man and the Artist” in Arts & Culture of the North, (Vol. IV, No. 2 Spring 1980), pp. 219-221. For the stunning Father and Son Wearing Snow Goggles, see First Arts, 4 Dec. 2023, Lot 45. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

JOHN KAVIK (1897-1993) KANGIQLINIQ (RANKIN INLET) Pot with Figures, early 1970s unglazed ceramic, 6.75 x 5.25 x 5.25 in (17.1 x 13.3 x 13.3 cm) Provenance Collection of John & Joyce Price, Seattle Kavik used the coil method to form both his large and smaller ceramic pots. But he would fashion each of the small human figures separately, applying his little “sculptures” – very reminiscent of his small stone figures – to the sides of the pot. Like many of his small pots, this one is bisque fired only; only glazed pots would have undergone a second firing, and Kavik was apparently not much interested in working with glazes. Here both the individual figures and the finished pot have a wonderfully primal feeling and immediacy much in keeping with Kavik’s rugged style. References: For similar examples of figural ceramic pots by Kavik see Ingo Hessel, Arctic Spirit: Inuit Art from the Albrecht Collection at the Heard Museum, (Phoenix: Heard Museum/Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 2006), fig. 124; and Walker’s Auctions, Ottawa, May 2013, Lot 139. For a larger-scale example see Christine Lalonde and Natalie Ribkoff, ItuKiagatta!: Inuit Sculpture from the Collection of the TD Bank Financial Group, (Ottawa: National Gallery of Canada, 2005), cat 25, p. 54. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

MARC ALIKASWA (1928-2008) ARVIAT (ESKIMO POINT) Family Group, late 1980s stone, 12.25 x 13.75 x 7.75 in (31.1 x 34.9 x 19.7 cm) unsigned. Provenance An American Private Collection; Treadway Gallery, Cincinnati, OH, 24 November 2019, Lot 190; Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection, Ontario. Before his move to the Hudson Bay coast Marc Alikaswa lived inland near the famous Ennadai Lake camp led by Aulatjut and his wife Nutaraaluk. A cheerful, unassuming man, he was however admired as a spirited drum dancer who travelled south to perform on numerous occasions. The great majority of Alikaswa’s works are small and modest carvings, whereas his monumental pieces can be powerful and evocative sculptures. This Family Group combines these qualities beautifully. Expansive and massive, the image is utterly charming as well. We feel the solidity of the stone and sense the rawness of its manufacture but are also attracted by the disarming nature of the woman’s welcoming gesture and the simple yet expressive faces of the couple. References: For similar examples of figural ceramic pots by Kavik see First Arts, 13 July 2021, Lot 88; Ingo Hessel, Arctic Spirit: Inuit Art from the Albrecht Collection at the Heard Museum, (Phoenix: Heard Museum/Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 2006), fig. 124; and Walker’s Auctions, Ottawa, May 2013, Lot 139. For a larger-scale example see Christine Lalonde and Natalie Ribkoff, ItuKiagatta!: Inuit Sculpture from the Collection of the TD Bank Financial Group, (Ottawa: National Gallery of Canada, 2005), cat 25, p. 54. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

ELIZABETH NUTARAALUK AULATJUT (1914-1998) ARVIAT (ESKIMO POINT) Mother Nursing a Child, c. 1980 stone, 9 x 8 x 6 in (22.9 x 20.3 x 15.2 cm) unsigned. Provenance Private Collection, France; An Ottawa Collection. Having endured periodic starvation and forced relocations during the first half of her life, Elizabeth Nutaraaluk created works that are frequently haunting in their stark simplicity. Her most moving works offer a mixture of raw beauty and elemental form combined with an almost visceral emotional punch. This extraordinary sculpture delivers both in spades. Furthermore, it is perhaps unique in the artist’s oeuvre in its depiction of a semi-nude female figure nursing (rather than simply holding) her young child. The mother gazes upwards as if beseeching the heavens to grant her baby some milk. Nutaraaluk was fiercely devoted to her family and carved to support them until finally constrained by weakness and blindness in her old age. References: Important examples of Nutaraaluk’s Mother and Child compositions are illustrated in many publications. For a fine example in the Sarick Collection at the AGO, see Ingo Hessel, Inuit Art: An Introduction, (Douglas & McIntyre, 1998), fig. 104; also illustrated in Julian Spalding, The Best Art You've Never Seen: 101 Hidden Treasures from Around the World, (London: Rough Guides, 2010), p. 191. See Marion Scott Gallery, Vision and Form, (Vancouver, 2003), p. 122; and Inuit Gallery of Vancouver, Classic Inuit (2005), cat. 30. For another see Ingo Hessel, Arctic Spirit, (Douglas & McIntyre/Heard Museum, 2006) cat. 39. For other fine stone sculptures by the artist see First Arts Auction, July 2020, Lots 41 and 59; 5 Dec. 2022, Lots 13 and 128; 4 Dec. 2023, Lot 69. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

ROBERT RIDLEY (1855-1934) HAIDA Model Hollow Back Totem Pole, c. 1900-1915 cedar wood and pigment, 16 x 5 x 3.25 in (40.6 x 12.7 x 8.3 cm) measurements reflect dimensions without later added metal base, with: 16.25 x 3.5 x 3.5 in (41.3 x 8.9 x 8.9 cm) with remnants of an affixed typeset label: "BY INDIA[N?] [torn] ON [torn] CH [torn-A?] RLOT [torn-TTE?] [indistinct] Provenance Private Collection, New York, NY. Robert Ridley was born in the village of Masset on Haida Gwaii. He was a prolific maker of model totem poles, although he also created model canoes, house models, masks, and feast spoons. Ridley carved at least one full-sized pole, completed in 1925, which was posthumously raised sometime between 1941 and 1945 in Thunderbird Park in Victoria. [1] This is likely an earlier carving by Ridley and is a bit blockier than some later pieces by him. It appears to be a house post model that features a bear grasping its extended tongue over a raven. The pole shows significant weathering and age, but retains much of its original burgundy, yellow, white, green, and black pigments. The back is deeply hollowed out and features an old, fragmented paper label that seems to have once read “By Indians on Queen Charlotte Islands,” the former colonial name of Haida Gwaii. 1. Reciprocal Research Network. Object information for MOA object A2227. https://www.rrncommunity.org/items/34747?filters=person+Robert+Ridley. Accessed April 4, 2024. Christopher W. Smith The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

ROBERT RIDLEY (1855-1934) HAIDA Model Totem Pole, c. 1933 yellow cedar wood and paint, 18.75 x 4.5 x 4.5 in (47.6 x 11.4 x 11.4 cm) inscribed in graphite in an unknown hand, "ALASKA / ['36?] / [Fred?] Jones. " Provenance A Vancouver Collection. This model pole features an eagle, killer whale standing on its flukes, and raven. It’s inscribed “Alaska” with a date of 1936 and what appears to be the name of the collector. The figures are painted in Ridley’s signature red, white, green, and black and the back of the pole is deeply hollowed out. It’s likely that this pole is a later example of Ridley’s work given the posthumous date and slightly askew face of the killer whale. The overall composition and painting are classic Ridley and bear a strong resemblance to several pieces in public collections. Born in the village of Masset on Haida Gwaii, Robert Ridley was a prolific maker of model totem poles, although he also created model canoes, house models, masks, and feast spoons. Ridley carved at least one full-sized pole, completed in 1925. This pole was posthumously raised sometime between 1941 and 1945 in Thunderbird Park in Victoria. [1] 1. Reciprocal Research Network. MOA object A2227. https://www.rrncommunity.org/items/34747?filters=person+Robert+Ridley. Accessed April 4, 2024. Christopher W. Smith The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

RAYMOND WILLIAMS, DITIDAHT/NUU-CHAH-NULTH Mask, 1956 cedar wood and acrylic paint, 12.5 x 7.5 x 3.5 in (31.8 x 19.1 x 8.9 cm) inscribed [date? by the artist???? unknown hand???] in ink, "KETCHIKAN / ALASKA / AUG 17 - 1956". Provenance Private Collection, New York, NY. Raymond Williams was a second-generation carver for the Ye Olde Curiosity Shop (YOCS) in Seattle and perhaps the most well-known member of the renowned Williams family of model totem pole makers. This unusual mask is an earlier, more eccentric style that pairs strong sculpture with a total paint coverage of stippling, dashing, formline elements, and diagonal lines. The mask probably depicts a medicine man with a frog emerging from his mouth and a small human figure on his forehead. The figure is flanked by two reptilian creatures that may represent sea monsters. It’s possible that Ray drew inspiration for this mask from the many zoological samples and ethnographic objects in the YOCS shop at the time. YOCS would often wholesale the work of local Seattle artists to Alaskan shops in the 1950s and 1960s, which explains the inscription about Ketchikan on the back. Christopher W. Smith References: For examples of model totem poles by the artist see Michael D. Hall and Pat Glascock, Carvings and Commerce: Model Totem Poles 1880-2010, (Saskatoon: Mendel Art Gallery / Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2011), fig. 4, p. 25, and cats. 153-157, pp. 157-158. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

JIMMY JOHN (1876-1988), MOWACHAHT/MUCHALAHT (NUU-CHAH-NULTH) Model Totem Pole, c. 1930s wood and acrylic paint, 16.25 x 3.5 x 2.5 in (41.3 x 8.9 x 6.3 cm) unsigned. Provenance Private Collection, Calgary, AB. Jimmy John was an important maker who worked in a variety of media through the 20th century, but he is best known for his model poles. Working for nearly a century, his style of carving and painting changed to meet the demands of the market as well his own needs and abilities as he aged. His earliest works were fully sculptural and featured a lot of bright paints, later reducing his palette to just red and black, and eventually abandoning paint altogether in favour of a distinctive chip-style of carving. This pole is from Jimmy John’s earlier style that incorporates bright paints with clean sculptural elements. The pole depicts, from top: eagle, owl, and a sun mask over a pair of eyes in pill-shaped ovoids. The pole is quite thin and elegant when viewed in profile and, from the front, features a subtle taper from bottom to top. Christopher W. Smith References: For three earlier examples of Jimmy John model totems (c. 1930) see Martha Black, HuupuKanum Tupaat: Out of the Mist: Treasures of the Nuu-chah-nulth Chiefs, (Victoria: Royal BC Museum, 1999), p. 111. For models of the Captain Jack house posts by the artist in the RBCM Collection see ibid., p. 69. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

UNIDENTIFIED NUU-CHAH-NULTH ARTIST Model Totem Pole, 28 July 1908 carved wood and acrylic paint, 13.5 x 3.25 x 2.5 in (34.3 x 8.3 x 6.3 cm) inscribed in an unknown hand in graphite, "9 1/2 / 2.60"; dated in an unknown hand in graphite, "July 28, 1980"; inscribed in an unknown hand in graphite, "WELLS". Provenance Private Collection, Calgary, AB. A well-sculpted and painted two-figure model depicting an eagle over a squatting bear. The pole features original old paints in dark green, light green, red, black, orange, and white. Although this pole is almost certainly Nuu-chah-nulth, it does reflect more northern influences in the proportions of the figures and the roundness of the sculpture. The rendering of the eagle is especially impressive, as the carver was able to capture the tension and intensity of a stalking eagle in its pose. The pole is dated July 28, 1908, and is in very good condition for its age. Christopher W. Smith The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

UNIDENTIFIED TLINGIT ARTIST Sitka Tlingit Pole, c. 1930s cedar wood and acrylic, 24.25 x 2.75 x 3 in (61.6 x 7 x 7.6 cm) unsigned. Provenance A Vancouver Collection. This large and intricate pole reflects the craftsmanship and high standards of Tlingit model pole makers in the 1930s. There is an unusual amount of openwork for the time period that can really be appreciated in the profile view of the sculpture. This pole is likely the work of a Sitka Tlingit artist based on its large, toothy muzzles, prominent arching brows that define the upper portions of the figure’s heads, and skinny, black-painted arms and legs. The figures are highly stylized, but appear to depict, from top: bear, human bending a stick, seal head, bear or sea lion with tongue protruding, human, and what appears to be the head of a wolf. The pole is painted in vivid old blue-green, black, and reddish pigments. Christopher W. Smith The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

UNIDENTIFIED TLINGIT ARTIST Model Totem Pole, c. 1890 alderwood, 22.25 x 3.5 x 2.5 in (56.5 x 8.9 x 6.3 cm) unsigned. Provenance Private Collection, Maine, USA; Private Collection, Calgary, AB. This unusual and sculptural Tlingit pole reflects an earlier style of model totem that emphasized fully round forms and incorporated structures within the carving to highlight and differentiate figures. This pole features from top: bear, eagle clasping salmon, and frog. The face of the eagle is rendered in a distinctive style, with the beak and eyes emerging from the shelflike forehead and pointing straight down. The formline elements on this pole are also highly individualistic, showing a strong curvature and compression from the top side, giving them the appearance of being inverted. It is likely that this maker could be identified in the future based on these distinctive features. Christopher W. Smith The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

Attributed to JACK JAMES (c. 1902-1980) KWAKWA_KA_'WAKW Sisiutl and Bird Headdress, c. 1970s cedar wood, cedar bark, acrylic paint, cotton cordage, wool cloth, dimensions variable, overall: 7 x 12 x 12.25 in (17.8 x 30.5 x 31.1 cm) apparently unsigned. Provenance Butterfields & Butterfield Auction, their sticker affixed verso, inscribed, "4559"; A Vancouver Collection. This Sisiutl and bird headdress is attributed to Gilford Island Kwakwaka’wakw artist Jack James, who was primarily known for his masks and model poles. Like other Gilford Island artists from this period, James was fond of white undercoats and bright paints to create contrast and emphasize forms in his work. The headdress features a Sisiutl (double-headed sea serpent) and waterfowl, perhaps a loon, with a woven cedar bark head ring and red cloth liner. This headdress is perhaps based on a Sisiutl and loon headdress that was photographed and published by Edward S. Curtis (1868-1952) in his spanning photographic project, The North American Indian. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

CHARLIE MICKEY (1910-1988) HESQUIAHT, NUU-CHAH-NULTH Model Totem Pole, c. 1960s cedar wood and acrylic paint, 16.75 x 3.25 x 5 in (42.5 x 8.3 x 12.7 cm) unsigned. Provenance A Vancouver Collection. Along with Jimmy John and the Williams family, Charlie Mickey was one of the 20th century Nuu-chah-nulth artists really pushing to preserve and promote Nuu-chah-nulth art. Unlike his contemporaries, though, Mickey utilized a style that incorporated more historic formal Nuu-chah-nulth elements. Mickey’s distinctive model poles are characterized by the exaggerated proportions of his animal figures and the inclusion of Nuu-chah-nulth wolf masks on most examples. This pole features, from top: eagle, wolf mask, bear, and whale. Unlike many of Mickey’s pieces from this period, this pole is painted in black, red, white, yellow, and green. Christopher W. Smith The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

IRENE AVAALAAQIAQ TIKTAALAAQ (1941-) QAMANI'TUAQ (BAKER LAKE) Work on Cloth, 1990s stroud, felt, embroidery floss, and cotton thread, 37.5 x 58.5 in (95.3 x 148.6 cm) signed, "??". Provenance Collection of John & Joyce Price, Seattle My grandmother used to tell me stories… My grandmother told me that animals used to turn into people. My grandmother told me stories to put me to sleep at night. I wondered how I could do something to put the stories my grandmother used to tell me into art. (From a 2004 artist interview with Ingo Hessel, in Hessel, Arctic Spirit, 2006, p. 123) Greatly inspired by her grandmother's stories, animal-human transformation figures have been the hallmark of Irene Avaalaaqiaq’s stitchwork since the early 1970s. This work on cloth is no exception to Irene’s canon of fantastical creatures: the bird-people singing from the outer sides of the hanging, accompanied by two more singing figures with striped, columnar bodies - a wolf-human and another bird-human - may well be straight from her grandmother’s stories. At the centre, a smiling woman (perhaps a shaman) seems to be conducting the chorus! With its stark contrast of dark and bright colours, and zigzag embroidery patterns that dance across the figures, this work on cloth is notable for its feeling of energy and excitement. References: For works by Avaalaaqiaq from the same period (with embroidery stripes) see Ingo Hessel, Inuit Art: An Introduction, (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre / New York: Harry Abrams / London: British Museum Press, 1998), fig. 33; Sheila Butler, “Wall Hangings from Baker Lake” in Alma Houston ed., Inuit Art: An Anthology, (Winnipeg: Watson and Dwyer Publishing, 1988), p. 96. Also see similar contemporaneous works by the artists in Jean Blodgett, Grasp Tight the Old Ways: Selections from the Klamer Family Collection of Inuit Art, (Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 1983), cats. 10, 11, pp. 44-45. See the section on the artist in Marion Scott Gallery, Two Great Image Makers from Baker Lake, (Vancouver: Marion Scott Gallery, 1999). See also an engaging book about Avaalaaqiaq and her art: Judith Nasby, Irene Avaalaaqiaq: Myth and Reality, (Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2002). For an important work see Ingo Hessel, Arctic Spirit: Inuit Art from the Albrecht Collection at the Heard Museum, (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre / Phoenix: Heard Museum, 2006), cat. 111. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

VICTORIA MAMNGUQSUALUK (1930-2016) QAMANI'TUAQ (BAKER LAKE) Scenes from the Legend of Kiviuq, c. 1990 duffle, felt, embroidery floss, and cotton thread, 37.5 x 29 in (95.3 x 73.7 cm) signed, "?????". Provenance Collection of John & Joyce Price, Seattle While many artists have tackled the story of Kiviuq, the Arctic’s immortal wandering hero, none have done so as obsessively as Victoria Mamnguqsualuk. She brought the hero to life in countless drawings, prints, and works on cloth, in a narrative form and visual style that was distinctively hers. This work is a collection of at least four vignettes rather than a linear narrative: scenes include Kiviuq catching his soon-to-be Fox Wife without her skin; Kiviuq and the cannibal Bee-Woman; Kiviuk riding the Two-Headed Dog; and Kiviuq and the Grizzly. Each episode is succinctly and brilliantly rendered. Mamnguqsualuk enriches the felt appliqué with gorgeous embroidery, giving them texture and depth. Kiviuq and other human figures have carefully laid clothing seams and fringe fluttering off their coats, while the various animals have long chains of feather stitches to give a furry appearance and delineate limbs. Delightful. References: For a detailed study of Mamnguqsualuk’s Kiviuq imagery see Charles Moore, Keeveeok, Awake! Mamnguqsualuk and the Rebirth of Legend at Baker Lake, exh. Cat., (Edmonton, AB: University of Alberta, Ring House Gallery, 1986). For a spectacular embroidered work on cloth see First Arts, 4 Dec. 2023, Lot 62. Works by Mamnguqsualuk are included in Fernstrom and Anita E. Jones, Northern Lights: Inuit Textile Art from the Canadian Arctic, (Baltimore: Baltimore Museum of Art, 1994). The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

MARTHA ITTULUKA'NAAQ (1912-1981) BAKER LAKE (QAMANI’TUAQ) Drum, 1969 (1970 #25) Printmaker: LUCY AMAROOK (1950-) QAMANI'TUAQ (BAKER LAKE) stencil, 16 x 20 in (40.6 x 50.8 cm) 15/31 Provenance Private Collection, Ontario; A Toronto Collection Martha Ittuluka'naaq expressed herself with a radical economy of line, developing a visual shorthand that is instantly recognizable. Many of her drawings of animals and people and most of her eight prints are sparse in the extreme. She often drew and cut out little cardboard figures, outlining their shapes onto her drawing paper. Her two most famous prints, the present image Drum and Musk-oxen and Wolves are superb examples of this technique. Here Ittuluka’naaq brilliantly depicts the figures’ feet and hooves by simply not "finishing" their outlines. Probably the drum utilized a separate cardboard disc. The image is breathtakingly simple yet profoundly engaging and moving; it is truly magical, and highly abstract in the way that prehistoric cave paintings often are. (To our knowledge the artist never created appliqué works on cloth, which seems a shame.) References: This print was included in the National Museum of Man international touring exhibition catalogue The Inuit Print (Ottawa: NMM, 1977) cat. 118. For three original drawings by the artist see Marion Jackson et al, Qamanittuaq: Where the River Widens (Guelph: Macdonald Stewart Art Centre, 1995), cats. 20-22. For more drawings see Feheley Fine Arts, The Butler Collection: Early Baker Lake Drawings (Toronto, 1999), pp. 52-61. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

KANANGINAK POOTOOGOOK, R.C.A. (1935-2010) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) Owl and Chicks, 2003 black ink and coloured pencil on paper, 26 x 20 in (66 x 50.8 cm) titled, "??????? ?????[??]"; inscribed, "???? (Kinngait) ???(Nunavut)"; signed and dated, "??????" 2003". Provenance A Toronto Collection. A keen observer of Arctic wildlife from a young age, Kananginak was an expert hunter and documenter. A favourite subject was the Snowy Owl, which can be spotted time and time again in his prints and drawings. Kananginak paid careful attention to their stance and plumage. Here we are treated to a charming and familiar scene: a mother owl sheltering her young chicks. Her wings and stance are spread wide against the perceived interloper, and her beak is open in a warning screech, echoed by her two young fledglings. Staring straight back at us, she is perhaps not keen about constantly being observed! References: For a recounting of an artistic career from Kananginak himself and those around him, see Ingo Hessel, Kananginak Pootoogook: Celebrating Five Decades of Artistic Achievement, (Toronto: Museum of Inuit Art, 2010). A further artist interview can be found in Ingo Hessel, Arctic Spirit: Inuit Art from the Albrecht Collection at the Heard Museum, (Phoenix, AZ: Heard Museum/Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 2006), p. 107. Further reading on the artist’s career can be found in Leslie Boyd, Kananginak Pootoogook: Drawings and Prints from Kinngait, (Portland, OR: Pomegranate, 2023). The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

KANANGINAK POOTOOGOOK, R.C.A. (1935-2010) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET) Polar Bear and Cub, 2002 black ink and coloured pencil on paper, 26 x 20 in (66 x 50.8 cm) titled, "????? ???"; inscribed, "???? (Nunavut) ?????? (Kinngait)"; signed and dated, "??????" 2002" Provenance A Toronto Collection. In yet another delightful depiction of Arctic wildlife, Kananginak presents us with a wonderful scene of a mother bear playing with her cub. The adult bear looms over the cub with front paws thrown high in the air, and claws punctuated against fur and snow. The inherent threat of the pose disappears as the mother bear leans down towards the little cub, whose tiny black tongue reaches up to lick its mama’s nose. The almost monochromatic drawing is softened with subtle touches of colour. Kananginak’s keen observation of Arctic wildlife combines with his innate artistic skill to create yet another charming tableau. References: For a recounting of an artistic career from Kananginak himself and those around him, see Ingo Hessel, Kananginak Pootoogook: Celebrating Five Decades of Artistic Achievement, (Toronto: Museum of Inuit Art, 2010). A further artist interview can be found in Ingo Hessel, Arctic Spirit: Inuit Art from the Albrecht Collection at the Heard Museum, (Phoenix, AZ: Heard Museum/Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 2006), p. 107. Further reading on the artist’s career can be found in Leslie Boyd, Kananginak Pootoogook: Drawings and Prints from Kinngait, (Portland, OR: Pomegranate, 2023). The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

ABRAHAM TALIRUNILI P.O.V. (1927-1994) INUKJUAK (PORT HARRISON) Kneeling Mother with Two Children, 1980 stone, 17.75 x. 11.25 x 12 in (45.1 x 28.6 x 30.5 cm), dated and signed, "80 ????? ???". Provenance Collection of John and Joyce Price, Seattle, WA. The son of the great Joe Talirunili (see Lot 29), Abraham moved from Puvirnituq to Inukjuak in the late 1940s where he was given the nickname “P.O.V.” (shortened from Povungnituk) to differentiate him from Abraham Nastapoka. Abraham only began to carve after 1950, so his style fits completely within the Inukjuak aesthetic. Abraham P.O.V. sculptures are easily recognizable with their gentle, corpulent figures, and lovely hoods framing faces with large, almond-shaped eyes. Here we see a densely compact yet surprisingly dynamic family composition. We love how the mother seems nonplussed despite the mountaineering efforts of her somewhat caffeinated younger boy. Indeed, her gaze, and that of her older child, is almost hypnotic in its serenity. References: Early works by the artist are included in Darlene Coward Wight’s catalogue, Early Masters: Inuit Sculpture 1949-1955, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 2006), pages 70-73. See also George Swinton, Sculpture of the Inuit, (Toronto: M&S, 1972/92), figs. 126 and 284; and Canadian Eskimo Arts Council, Sculpture / Inuit: Masterworks of the Canadian Arctic, (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1971), cat. 287. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

ANNIE TIMANGIAK PAPIGATOK (1929-) SALLUIT (SUGLUK) Kneeling Woman with Qulliq (Kudlik), c. 1956 stone, 10 x 4.25 x 5.25 in (25.4 x 10.8 x 13.3 cm) inscribed with artist's disc number, "E.9. 1112". Provenance Private Collection, Canada, Waddington’s Auctions, 7 Dec 1988, Lot 133; Images Art Gallery, Toronto; John and Joyce Price Collection, Seattle. Exhibited Sugluk: Sculpture in Stone, traveling exhibition, Halifax, NS, Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, 16 Jan - 2 March 1986; Windsor, ON, Art Gallery of Windsor, Windsor, 2 March - 6 April 1986; Calgary, AB, Nickle Arts Museum, 3 July - 31 Aug 1986; Burnaby, BC, Burnaby Art Gallery, 20 Oct - 30 Nov 1986; Toronto, ON, Koffler Art Centre, 18 March - 16 April 1987; Hamilton, ON, Art Gallery of Hamilton, 23 April - 24 May 24, 1987; Kitchener, ON, Kitchener/Waterloo Art Gallery, 25 June - 23 Aug, 1987; Quebec City, QC, Musée du Quebec, Quebec City, 24 Sept - 22 Nov 1987, cat. 16. Published Ted Fraser & Michael Neill, Sugluk: Sculpture in Stone, (Windsor, ON: Windsor: Art Gallery of Windsor, 1992), cat. 16, p. 62. In our July 2021 sale (Lot 41) we presented a magnificent Mother with Two Children by Mary Sanaaq Papigatok, pointing out that very little is known of her life and career. Alas, the same can be said of her sister-in-law Annie Timangiak. Both artists left behind very small bodies of work, but the known examples are impressive. The early to mid 1950s witnessed a wonderful but woefully brief period of artistic expression in Salluit. More than half of the artists were women and many of the best sculptures depicted maternal scenes or women engaged in scenes from traditional camp life. This beautifully rendered sculpture depicts a kneeling woman holding a stone qulliq (oil lamp), perhaps symbolically as a “keeper of the flame.” The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

DAVIDIALUK ALASUA AMITTU (1910-1976) PUVIRNITUQ (POVUNGNITUK) Walrus Capsizing a Man in a Kayak, c. mid-late 1960s stone, 5.25 x 13.75 x 7 in (13.3 x 34.9 x 17.8 cm) signed, inscribed with artist's disc number, and inscribed, "DAVIDEALUK / E.9 824 / POV". Provenance An Ottawa Collection. Davidialuk was a true storyteller who has been justly celebrated for his obsession for depicting dramatic scenes from stories and legends from Nunavik (Arctic Québec) in his sculptures and prints. Folk tales often freely mixed fanciful creatures and mythical narratives with snippets of remembered local but also personal history. This dramatic sculpture reminds us of Davidialuk’s 1962 stonecut print Upset by His Prey which presents a capsized kayak hunter fending off a walrus. Both sculpture and graphic may illustrate the same event, showing the potential risk to Inuit hunters who pursue marine mammals that are at once massive and massively powerful. The walrus’s strength and hunter’s shock are beautifully conveyed by the churning waters around the kayak. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

JOE TALIRUNILI (1893-1976) PUVIRNITUQ (POVUNGNITUK) Story About a Hunter Lost in Icebergs While Hunting Seals, 1975 #32 Printmaker: LUCY AMARUALIK (1934-2005) PUVIRNITUQ (POVUNGNITUK) stonecut, 24.25 x 28 in (61.6 x 71.1 cm) 7/50 Provenance Collection of John and Joyce Price, Seattle. Joe Talirunili, arguably the most celebrated artist in the region of Nunavik, showed no signs of slowing down in his final years. This print is one of the few from his last additions to the Puvirnituq print collection and continues his great tradition of “drawing things that I knew a long time ago.” [1] Frenzied hunters paddle through icebergs (represented by large, unbroken printed parts of the stone block used to make the print), attempting to hunt seals under the watchful eyes of several of Talirunili’s distinctive owls. An impressively large owl lords it over the entire composition. By quirkily combining Joe’s two favourite subjects - umiaq adventures and owls - this print beautifully sums up this beloved artist’s career. 1. Joe Talirunili in Povungnituk 1975: Prints / estampes, (Montreal: Fédération des coopératives du Nouveau-Québec, 1975), unpaginated. References: For an overview of the artist’s work, see Marybelle Myers, Joe Talirunili: a grace beyond the reach of art, (Montreal: La Federation des cooperatives du Nouveau-Quebec, 1977). For some snippets of Talirunili’s life in Puvirnituq, see 1976 Puvungnituk: Prints / estampes, (Montreal: Fédération des coopératives du Nouveau-Québec, 1975), unpaginated. For further works by this artist, see Lot 29 this sale, Migration Boat. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

UNIDENTIFIED INUIT ARTIST, CENTRAL CANADIAN ARCTIC Two walrus tusk Muskoxen, c. early to mid 1950s each walrus tusk and black inlay, 1.5 x 2.25 x 0.75 in (3.8 x 5.7 x 1.9 cm) and smaller each unsigned. Provenance Collected by a federal government administrator during his travels in the Eastern and Central Arctic in the 1950s; by descent in the family. When one thinks of Inuit Art, the great tradition of small carved ivory miniatures comes to mind as a style within the genre; delicate and skilled handling can translate some of the largest Arctic fauna into something to be held in the palm of your hand. The chunky proportions and form of this pair are reminiscent of the many muskoxen carved by Mark Tungilik, an artist known for his own distinctive miniature style. With each of these muskoxen sporting a charming little smile, you can’t help but smile yourself! References: For further, charming examples of ivory miniatures, see the First Arts exhibition, Little Worlds: The Norman Hallendy Collection of Ivory Miniatures, 1 November 2021. See a variety of ivory miniatures from Repulse Bay, including a Muskox, by Mark Tungilik, in Jean Blodgett, Repulse Bay, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1978). See a variety of early ivory miniatures in Walker’s Auctions, 13 Nov. 2011, Lot 66. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

UNIDENTIFIED INUIT ARTIST, CENTRAL CANADIAN ARCTIC Siksik (Arctic Ground Squirrel), early 1950s walrus tusk, black inlay, and red pigment, 1 x 2.75 x 1 in (2.5 x 7 x 2.5 cm) unsigned. Provenance Collected by a federal government administrator during his travels in the Eastern and Central Arctic in the 1940s and 1950s; by descent in the family. The petite scale of miniature works in Inuit art has always been a source of delight and enjoyment. How further pleasing then, to have such personality within a work as well! This Siksik (Arctic Ground Squirrel) is as dynamic as he is darling, leaning back on his paws and with his fur puffed up against the cold, or an unseen antagonist. The inlay details of the paws and face further give action and movement to this endearing little sculpture, one of the most charming of its type we have ever seen. References: For brief introductions to carved ivory miniatures, see Ingo Hessel, Inuit Art: An Introduction, (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre / New York: Harry Abrams / London: British Museum Press, 1998), pgs. 16-27. See also Jean Blodgett, Grasp Tight the Old Ways: Selections from the Klamer Family Collection of Inuit Art, (Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 1983), p. 250-251. See also Winnipeg Art Gallery, Inuit Ivories From The Collection, (Winnipeg, Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1992). For further, charming examples of ivory miniatures, see the First Arts exhibition, Little Worlds: The Norman Hallendy Collection of Ivory Miniatures, 1 November 20219. See a variety of ivory miniatures from Repulse Bay in Jean Blodgett, Repulse Bay, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1978). See a variety of early ivory miniatures in Walker’s Auctions, 13 Nov. 2011, Lot 66. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

UNIDENTIFIED INUIT ARTIST, EASTERN CANADIAN ARCTIC Two walrus tusk Caribou, c. early 1950s each walrus tusk and black inlay, the first: 1.25 x 0.5 x 1.75 in (3.2 x 1.3 x 4.4 cm) / the second: 1.75 x 2 x 0.5 in (4.4 x 5.1 x 1.3 cm) each unsigned. Provenance Collected by a federal government administrator during his travels in the Eastern and Central Arctic in the 1940s and 1950s; by descent in the family. Where some depictions of Arctic wildlife can be simply illustrative of the species, certain artists take the time to depict the life and habits of the animals they are carefully recreating. This portrayal of a pair of caribou, amazingly small in person, captures the gentle, delicate grace of the animals as if they were real. The standing caribou takes a small, half step forward while the other is settled on the ground with legs folded under. Both sport dainty antlers, further pointing to an artist with an incredibly skilled and patient hand. References: For brief introductions to carved ivory miniatures, see Ingo Hessel, Inuit Art: An Introduction, (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre / New York: Harry Abrams / London: British Museum Press, 1998), pgs. 16-27. See also Jean Blodgett, Grasp Tight the Old Ways: Selections from the Klamer Family Collection of Inuit Art, (Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 1983), p. 250-251. See also Winnipeg Art Gallery, Inuit Ivories From The Collection, (Winnipeg, Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1992). For further, charming examples of ivory miniatures, see the First Arts exhibition, Little Worlds: The Norman Hallendy Collection of Ivory Miniatures, 1 November 2019. See a prancing ivory Caribou, from Kimmirut in Bernadette Driscoll, Baffin Island, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1983), cat. 61, p. 109. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

UNIDENTIFIED ARTIST, EASTERN CANADIAN ARCTIC Hunter and Dogs Approaching a Polar Bear, early 1940s or 1950s walrus tusk, stone, and black pigment, 2.5 x 5 x 3 in (6.3 x 12.7 x 7.6 cm) unsigned. Provenance Private Collection, Ontario; by descent in the family. Even before the first major exhibition of Inuit art in Southern Canada in 1949, Kimmirut (then called Lake Harbour) had a thriving local carving economy. Artists such as Sheojuk Oqutaq (1920-1982) and Davidee Itulu (1929-2006) specialized in small-scale vignettes of Inuit camp life as far back as the mid-1940s. While perhaps not by Sheokjuk or Itulu, this action-packed scene beautifully captures both the spirit of the hunt and the spirit of this earliest period of “modern” Inuit art. The bear alone is well worth the price of admission! References: For brief introductions to carved ivory miniatures, see Ingo Hessel, Inuit Art: An Introduction (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre / New York: Harry Abrams / London: British Museum Press, 1998), pgs. 16-27. See also Jean Blodgett, Grasp Tight the Old Ways: Selections from the Klamer Family Collection of Inuit Art (Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 1983), p. 250-251. For further, charming examples of ivory miniatures, see the First Arts exhibition, Little Worlds: The Norman Hallendy Collection of Ivory Miniature, 1 November 20219. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

HISTORIC PERIOD INUIT ARTIST, EASTERN CANADIAN ARCTIC Grazing Caribou, probably 1935 or earlier walrus tusk and black pigment, 1.25 x 3.75 x 0.75 in (3.2 x 9.5 x 1.9 cm) unsigned. Provenance Collected by William Melville MacLean (1888-1978), the Canadian Post Office official traveling to Hudson Bay, Baffin Island, and Craig Harbour on Ellesmere Island aboard the famous Arctic icebreaker Nascopie when it was rechristened the R.M.S. [Royal Mail Ship] Nascopie in 1935; by descent in the family. This naïve yet exquisitely beautiful Grazing Caribou is a fine example of late Historic Period Inuit art. The animal’s long, low proportions probably reflect the piece of ivory the artist had to work with. The lovely look of polished ivory tends to imbue small works with a feeling of preciousness. This fine sculpture easily transcends that, possessing a truly special sense of grace. References: See Historic Period ivory carvings of caribou in Canadian Eskimo Arts Council, Sculpture / Inuit: Masterworks of the Canadian Arctic, (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1971), cats. 126-127. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.

HISTORIC PERIOD INUIT ARTIST, EASTERN CANADIAN ARCTIC Whistle, 1935 or earlier bone or walrus tusk, wood, baleen(?), and black pigment, 3 x 0.5 x 0.5 in (7.6 x 1.3 x 1.3 cm) Provenance Collected by William Melville MacLean (1888-1978), the Canadian Post Office official traveling to Hudson Bay, Baffin Island, and Craig Harbour on Ellesmere Island aboard the famous Arctic icebreaker Nascopie when it was rechristened the R.M.S. [Royal Mail Ship] Nascopie in 1935; by descent in the family. Though simple in form and function, this is a superbly crafted and truly lovely object. It does not have the look of a work made for “quick sale,” and was surely made by an extraordinarily gifted hand. This Whistle is very much in the spirit of works of art created by Inuit in response to the influx of sailors, whalers, and other foreign visitors in the Arctic in the 19th century. Inuit carved both traditional and European-style objects for the newcomers, sometimes as commissions, during the so-called “Historic Period” which extended through the first half of the 20th century. References: See a somewhat later but comparable object: an ivory and hide Needle Case, in the form of a seal from 1953 by Peesee Osuitok of Cape Dorset in Virginia Watt et al., Canadian Guild of Crafts Quebec: The Permanent Collection: Inuit Arts And Crafts c. 1900-1980, (Montreal: Canadian Guild of Crafts Quebec, 1980), cat. 221, p. 159. The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012. NOTE Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported.