Abraham Nastapoka

1900–1981

Abraham Nastapoka (1900–1981) was a sculptor from Inukjuak (Port Harrison), Nunavik, Quebec. Abraham began carving at age 50 when James Houston arrived in Inukjuak. His carvings, characteristic of the style in Inukjuak at the time, include renderings of animals and Inuit figures that capture the realities of daily life. Abraham continued carving until 1974 when he was forced to stop due to pain in his arms.

Before becoming a carver, Abraham was a hunter and camp leader at Patirqtuuq. Throughout the 1930s, he also ran a small shop for the Baffin Trading Company on the Nastapoka River.

Abraham’s wife, Meeko (Sarah) Nastapoka, was also a carver, and the pair had great influence over one another, often working together. Meeko was unable to sign her own name, and she often asked Abraham to sign her work. He would sign using his own name, further exemplifying the interconnections between their carvings. Their children Johnny, Davidee, and Geela, along with their adopted son Samson all became artists.

Abraham’s carvings have been shown in many exhibitions across Canada, and they can be found in public and private collections at the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, the Canadian Museum of History, Gatineau, Musée des beaux-arts de Montreal, the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, the Toronto Dominion Bank, and the Winnipeg Art Gallery, among others.

Artworks

Abraham Nastapoka
(1900)
(1981)