Places, Traditions and Discoveries · Drawing 14 of 40
A sculpture from Nunavik
Nunavik
In Nunavik, Inuit artists carve stone to show animals, people or ideas. Each work has something to tell us.
Look together
What animal do you recognize in this shape?
An idea to try
Model an invented animal with modelling dough. Your child gives it a name and describes a shape that helps people recognize it.
For the adult reading along
A little more to discover
Avataq Cultural Institute documents sculpture in Nunavik. Stone is one material used, alongside others such as bone and wood. Works may portray animals, human activities or stories. Shapes and subjects depend on artists’ choices; a single sculpture cannot sum up this creative work.
The drawing shows a seal in simplified shapes. Notice how a silhouette can suggest an animal without showing every hair or small detail. Invite your child to explain what they recognize and why. If they make their own shape, describe it as a personal invention without assigning it a cultural meaning they do not know.
Sources and illustration notes (1)
A seal sculpture imagined for this book; it copies no artist’s work and represents no identified traditional symbol.
These links lead to other websites. Explore them with an adult. References identify the institution and the related lesson; some linked pages are in French.
- Institut culturel Avataq — Résumé sur la sculpture (in French)Variety of materials and subjects in Nunavik sculpture. The source’s historical generalizations are not used here.
Page prepared on September 12, 2026. Illustrations simplify places and scenes; they are not historical documents.
This drawing is from the book Québec Treasures to Colour
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