POSSIBLY: JOY KILUVIGYUAK HALLAUK (1940-2000) ARVIAT (ESKIMO POINT)
Doll in a finely decorated beaded Amautiq, early-mid 1980s
sealskin, stone, glass beads, yarn, and thread, 13.5 x 9 x 4 in (34.3 x 22.9 x 10.2 cm)
unsigned.

PROVENANCE
Acquired in Qamani'tuaq (Baker Lake), c. 1980 by the present Private Collection, Kingston.

Traditionally, Inuit dolls were made for and by females as playthings. These dolls were both faceless and armless, but were often clothed in skins that were, on occasion, decorated. As with toys around the world, these dolls became lost or discarded by their owners, although many older Inuit women still remember their dolls fondly and some of these relic-dolls can be found in museum collections. Although these traditional dolls were not considered to be art, beginning in the 1950s, beautifully crafted dolls, dressed in meticulously sewn sets of clothing and sometimes enhanced by ivory or stone faces began appearing in the south with some regularity in the 1960s. These were marketed as "collector's dolls," rather than as children's playthings.

These collector's dolls concentrate on the realistic depiction of local clothing styles (both traditional and southern-influenced). Some focus on sewing skills, while others display their interest in beadwork. As is often the case with categories of Inuit art, such as textile hangings -which were considered "crafts" well into the 1980s and that are now accepted by most objects of fine art - these dolls have obliged us to re-evaluate the distinctions between fine art and craft.

In the 2008 exhibition at the Museum of Inuit Art, collector Esther Sarick commented on her own doll collection, "There is a great crossover between art and craft; being able to stitch well or carve a head well blurs the line between the two. What was once something for a child to play with now becomes a treasure."

For additional reading, see: Eva Strickler and Anaoyok Alookee, Inuit dolls: Reminders of a Heritage, (Toronto: Canadian Stage and Arts Publications Ltd., 1988) and Darrin J. Martens, Inuit Dolls of the Kivalliq, exh. cat., (Burnaby, BC: Burnaby Art Gallery, 2008)