Eli Weetaluktuk
(1910–)
(–1958)
Eli Weetaluktuk
1910–1958
Eli Weetaluktuk (1910–1958) was a sculptor from Kangirqsukallaq camp, about 40km south of Inukjuak (Port Harrison), Nunavik, Quebec. Eli and his brothers Sarollie and Simeonie Weetaluktuk began carving in the 1950s. This coincided with the arrival of James Houston in Inukjuak and the beginning of the Hudson’s Bay Company’s interest in purchasing carvings for export to the south.
The three brothers lived at Kangirqsukallaq Camp, led by Sarollie. They owned a Peterhead boat which they used for hunting, embarking on a different hunt each season. In the spring, the brothers hunted walrus, allowing them to collect ivory, a material not easily accessible for many carvers. Eli incorporated ivory into his work, using it to add details such as animal tusks, tools for human figures, and inlaid eyes and lips. He also used melted phonograph records to create black inlays.
High-quality stone was difficult to locate until the quarry of Sungauyak, which held a deposit of beautiful green stone, was discovered south of Kangirqsukallaq Camp. To create his carvings, Eli used a hatchet to break the stone into smaller pieces and to establish its general shape. He then used files to incise fine details and sand to polish the work. Later, Eli and others would use sandpaper and shoe polish to finish their sculptures as these products became more readily available in the north.
Eli’s carvings have been featured in exhibitions across Canada, such as Port Harrison/Inoucdjouac on view at the Winnipeg Art Gallery from 1976 to 1977. His carvings are also included in a number of public and private collections, including the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, the Canadian Museum of History, Gatineau, the Avataq Cultural Institute, Montreal, the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, Banff, and the Winnipeg Art Gallery, among others.