Owl

A carved owl standing on one foot with upraised notched wings

Serpentine stone
Approx. 5 x 18 x 24 cm
Reg no. 1271151

Palaya learned to carve in the traditional way, by watching his father. His first two pieces, carved at age 12, were a bird and a bear. However, it was only as a 17-year-old that he started carving seriously. He now supports his family through carving. He enjoys carving and has been doing it for some 20 years. Although Palaya views himself above all as an artist, he is also “a traditionalist with a mission.” He believes that if Inuit culture is to survive, the young people must be taught about the past, and he attempts to keep the traditional stories alive through his work. He especially likes the shaman transformation stories he learned as a child from his grandfather Kiakshuk. Transformations and shamanism are among his favourite themes. He hopes that young people will see carvings and understand more about the hard life of their ancestors: how they were completely dependent on the land and wildlife, which sometimes meant starvation.

“I also see my mission as educating others about my culture. Any opportunity I have to travel and give demonstrations and workshops helps contribute to others’ appreciation of our art forms. I meet many people and they gain a better appreciation of my work. When I am invited to these venues,” he said, “I always take the opportunity to see work done by artists of another culture. I can also learn from others, just as they can learn from me. I am 41 years old, and I have been carving and supporting myself through my artwork for over half my life. While there are a lot of people who carve in Cape Dorset, not all of them are able to support themselves the way I can. I believe that my travelling and visiting help me become a better person and artist.”