Qaunaq Mikkigak facts for kids

Man & Mother and Child carving by Qaunak Mikkigak.

Qaunaq Mikkigak (born November 15, 1932 – died 2020) was a talented Canadian artist and writer. She was best known for her amazing sculptures. But she also made beautiful jewelry, told stories, drew pictures, and performed throat singing. Qaunaq loved arts and crafts. Her artwork was often inspired by her own imagination and feelings. She also helped write two children's books, The Legend of the Fog and Grandmother Ptarmigan. These books were based on old Inuit stories.

Early Life and Learning

Qaunaq was born in Nuvujuak, Nunavut. Her mother, Mary Kudjuakjuk, was also an artist. Qaunaq lived her whole life in or near Cape Dorset. When she was very young, around three or four years old, Qaunaq lived with another family for a short time. She was not treated well there. Luckily, her oldest adopted brother and his wife helped her by giving her food. After her father visited, she returned to her own family.

Back home, Qaunaq loved learning traditional Inuit ways of life from her mother. Her mother had a heart condition and could not move around much. So, Qaunaq did many important chores. She collected firewood, fetched water, and prepared seal blubber. She also cleaned their igloo and helped make the family's clothes.

When Qaunaq was about eight or ten, her father passed away. After this, she started making small carvings. Later, her mother remarried and moved away for work. Qaunaq chose to stay in Nuvujuak.

Becoming an Artist

Qaunaq remembered watching her father and other men carve ivory and stone. They made small figures to sell. She started making her own carvings too. At first, she kept them hidden because only men usually carved back then. This makes her one of the first Inuit women to become a carver. After her father died, she began carving more openly.

Qaunaq started by making soapstone heads for dolls. Then she made qulliit (traditional Inuit lamps) and geese. She used simple tools like an axe and a file, never electric ones.

Qaunaq's Art Style

Qaunaq Mikkigak worked in many art forms. She made jewelry, drawings, and sewn pieces. But she is most famous for her natural-looking sculptures and carvings. Her art often showed traditional folk tales, animals, and angakuit (shamans). She didn't plan her art too much beforehand. She let her ideas grow as she worked. She started with simple subjects and shapes. Over time, her art became more detailed and complex. Sometimes, she even combined different subjects into one piece.

Where Her Art Was Shown

Qaunaq Mikkigak's art has been shown in many places. Her prints were part of the annual Cape Dorset print collections in 1980, 1981, and 1986. Her work was also in group shows across Canada. You can find her art in important public collections. These include the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Canadian Museum of History. Her art is also at the National Gallery of Canada and the Winnipeg Art Gallery. More than a thousand of her works are listed in the Canadian Heritage Information Network. Some of her well-known pieces are Reaching for Fish (1987), Weird Creature (1988), and Selfish Hunter (1988).

Music and Storytelling

Qaunaq Mikkigak was also a talented traditional Inuit throat singer. She performed her unique music all over Canada and in other countries.

She was also a gifted storyteller and author. Her book The Legend of the Fog tells the story of a boy. He meets a giant who wants to eat him while crossing the tundra. As the boy escapes, he accidentally releases the world's first fog.

Her other book, Grandmother Ptarmigan, explains why ptarmigan birds make certain calls. It also tells why young ptarmigans fly so early. The story is about a grandmother ptarmigan telling a bedtime story to her grandchild. The little ptarmigan doesn't want to sleep and asks for a story. The grandmother tells a tale about lemmings wanting to get warm under his feathers. The little ptarmigan gets more and more upset. Finally, the grandmother tickles him. He gets so scared that he jumps up and flies away! The grandmother cries "nauk, nauk" because she is sad.

Personal Life

Qaunaq had a younger brother and four siblings she lived with for a time. She was married to another Inuit artist, Ohotaq Mikkigak. They lived a traditional Inuit lifestyle in Nuvujuak. Qaunaq had eight children: one of her own and seven adopted children.

Later, Qaunaq's mother and stepfather moved to Cape Dorset. Her stepfather became a custodian at the school. The Mikkigak family also moved to the settlement. They wanted their two young children to go to school there. Both Qaunaq and her husband later worked as custodians too. They both enjoyed making art. Qaunaq was very proud to help support her family through her artwork.