Untitled (Mother and Child)

Along with his older brother, Akeeaktashuk (1898-1954), Pilipusi Novalinga is considered a pioneering figure of Inuit art. Long before non-Indigenous audiences were introduced to the work of Inuit artists making inroads in Montreal in the 1950s, Novalinga was living off of his success in the Inukjuak region and enjoying the recognition of his peers. This work is from the early days of the movement for cultural and political self-determination across Inuit Nunangat, in the face of the scourges of residential schools, the sled dog slaughter and the forced relocations to the northern islands that were then being carried out.