Simeonie Weetaluktuk
(1921–)
(–2001)
Simeonie Weetaluktuk
1921–2001
Simeonie Weetaluktuk (1921– 2001) was a sculptor from Kangirqsukallaq Camp, about 40km south of Inukjuak (Port Harrison), Nunavik, Quebec. Simeonie and his brothers Sarollie and Eli 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. Simeonie’s wife, Lucy, is also a carver.
The three brothers lived at Kangirqsukallaq Camp, led by Sarollie. Simeonie took over leadership of the camp after Sarollie’s death in 1962. The brothers 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. Simeonie incorporated ivory into his work, using it to add details such as animal tusks, tools for human figures, and inlaid eyes and lips. Some of Simeonie's early works were carved entirely out of ivory.
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, Simeonie and his brothers used a hatchet to break the stone into smaller pieces and to establish its general shape. They then used files to incise fine details and sand to polish the work. Later, Simeonie and others would use sandpaper and shoe polish to finish their sculptures as these products became more readily available in the north.
Simeonie’s carvings have been exhibited across Canada, including in Arctic Vision: Art of the Canadian Inuit, a travelling exhibition on view from 1984 to 1986 organized by the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Canadian Arctic Producers. His work is held in the permanent collections at the Canadian Museum of History, Gatineau, the Canadian Guild of Crafts Quebec, Montreal, the Avataq Cultural Institute, Montreal, and the Winnipeg Art Gallery, among others.
