As a queer person of Nunatsiavut descent, I was interested in researching 2SLGBTQQIA+ themes in historic Inuit artwork, and I was hoping to find the first openly queer Inuk artist. However, I quickly found that this was no easy task. Gender and sexual diversity have always been a part of Inuit histories and continue to be today, but I found that the information on these topics directly from Inuit was limited. I was able to find some written accounts that looked at gender and sexuality; however, the most readily available information came from an anthropological context and utilized secondhand recollections of Inuit. The information surrounding the culture of gender and sexual diversity in our Inuit histories does lie within us—unfortunately there is very little on public record with even less so published from first-hand sources regarding topics such as same-sex couples and sipiniit, meaning infants whose sex changes shortly before or after birth. [1] This is likely due to the effects of colonization, Christian influence and the cultural erasure that follows in their wake. Since I could not find first-hand written or oral accounts by Inuit, I turned to art made by Inuit as a source to learn more.
Art has always been a valuable tool to learn about Inuit stories in addition to the oral communication style of Inuit. We are not known for our written histories; we tend to value visual mediums as a language of their own, preferring to speak our stories, sculpt them into stone or draw them on paper. And although I could not find the first openly queer Inuk artist or explicit depictions of gender and sexual diversity in historical artworks, I found that echoes of these themes of fluidity and openness can often be seen in art depicting angakkuit—Inuit spiritual leaders and healers recognized across Inuit Nunaat.
Pitaloosie Saila Tattooed Shaman (2008) Etching and aquatint 74.3 × 85.1 cm REPRODUCED WITH PERMISSION DORSET FINE ARTS COURTESY FEHELEY FINE ARTS © THE ARTIST
Angakkuit were healers and often artisans who brought abundance to early Inuit communities through communication with the spiritual realm. While this role was most often designated to men and sometimes to women, it was not uncommon for sipiniit, or third-gender individuals, to be designated this role for their believed abilities to communicate between worlds—a task crucial to the role of the angakkuq as mediators and communicators. [2] In some communities, it was forbidden to depict likenesses, as it was believed that they may attract unwanted spirits. [3] Many artists who no longer hold this belief or believe that preserving traditional knowledge outweighs the risk have shared our traditional stories and continue to do so. In Simon Tookoome’s (1934–2010) piece The World of Man and the World of Animals Come Together in the Shaman (1973), we can see how the transformative role is used for communication. The different legs are symbolic of having one foot in the human world and one in the world of animals. The clear division of colours in the piece further highlights this idea of duality. Angakkuit continue to be depicted in acts of transformation, a power that they were believed to possess—frequently intertwined with their helping spirits or animals. The common theme of inter-species transmutation depicted in images of angakkuit may have even stemmed from a coded commentary around this gender and sexual fluidity, as it would have been more palatable to the missionaries and trade partners of the time. The task of preserving traditional knowledge has been given to our Elders, knowledge keepers and artists who have been brave enough to share these stories—their work keeps our stories alive.
Lucy Meeko Composition (1973) Silkscreen 48.5 × 63.5 cm COURTESY IAF © THE ARTIST
Among such stories are also sipiniit, which have a long but mostly forgotten history in Inuit communities across Inuit Nunaat. However, we can see this reverence for fluidity continue in artistic renderings of angakkuit, with one notable trend of depicting androgynous figures adorned with tunniit, or tattoos, designated for women. For example, lines across the cheeks and chin of a radiant, parka-clad angakkuq sitting cross-legged in their human form can be seen in Tattooed Shaman (2008) by Pitaloosie Saila, RCA (1942–2021). Figures like these, which lack noticeable secondary sex characteristics, speak to the transcendental nature of angakkuit—fluid in spirit, body and mind. Another example of this fluidity is found in Composition (1973) by Lucy Meeko (1929–2004), a print where an amalgamation of human and animal elements make up a spirit-like creature. With the almost abstract elements of animals and humanesque faces, the piece feels otherworldly. The creature sports braids that are typically associated with women and a fishing spear that is usually associated with men, once again showcasing flexibility and dualism in a way that is distanced from reality. A further reminder of the physical fluidity often found in Inuit values can be found in artwork such as Shaman Calling Animals (1975) by Marion Tuu’luq, RCA, LL.D (1910–2002). The two-faced figure in this vibrant, symmetrical piece is depicted communicating with wildlife while undergoing an act of transmutation. The faces above call out to the animals of the land, while the faces on the legs-turned-fish call to the sea life below.
Marion Tuu’luq Shaman Calling the Animals (1975) Stonecut and stencil 63.5 x 73.7 cm COURTESY FEHELEY FINE ARTS © THE ARTIST © THE ARTIST
One other instance of adaptability and flexibility I noticed while looking at earlier works was the fluidity of gender roles among Inuit children. An anthropological account by Christopher G. Trott noted that not only was crossdressing children common until puberty, so was raising them in their newly assigned gender roles to fill gaps within the community. [4] Depictions of this are not overtly apparent, however in pieces such as Children at Play (1976) by Lucy Qinnuayuak (1915–1982), the genders of children often go unspecified by using words like child and children in their titles. This particular piece also features two women who appear to be sharing the responsibility of motherhood, not uncommon in Inuit communities, in which they value the communal raising of children as opposed to the heteronormative nuclear family household consisting of a mother and father. Although explicitly 2SLGBTQQIA+ themes have not been found in early Inuit art, that doesn’t mean they didn’t exist; there is a possibility that the works were subsequently destroyed by missionaries. We may never know just how many works have been lost or destroyed and what information may have been lost with them. In recent years, Inuit artists have become emboldened to openly portray queerness in their work. This openness to gender and sexual diversity is not something new but is in fact a resurgence.
Lucy Qinnuayuak Children at Play (1976) Stonecut and stencil 43.2 × 62.9 cm REPRODUCED WITH PERMISSION DORSET FINE ARTS COURTESY FEHELEY FINE ARTS © THE ARTIST
Through my research to learn more about myself and my culture, I uncovered an intersection between beliefs, gender expression and art that overlayed with my own experiences. After learning about artworks and stories like these, it became clear to me that, while difficult to find, some of the answers I was looking for could be found in historic and early contemporary artwork, particularly those depicting angakkuit.
By finding traces of gender and sexual diversity in these artworks, we can gain some sense of understanding of what it could have meant to be queer for these individuals and others in their communities, knowing that they likely did not have the privilege of openly expressing such themes as we do now, and acknowledging how that may have affected their artwork. Perhaps those not yet comfortable openly expressing themselves could learn something from them as well. Today, there are an increasing number of Inuit who feel comfortable identifying as queer. I hope to continue to help bring these lesser known stories into the light for future queer Inuit to feel proud sharing their traditional knowledge and personal experiences through stories and art unapologetically.
Kale Sheppard is a multidisciplinary visual artist based in Winnipeg, MB, with roots in Nunatsiavut. Using art as a means to connect to their culture while living in the South, their practice is constantly evolving and expanding into new media—acrylic paintings, murals and digital art being the most common.
NOTES
1 Pamela R Stern, The Daily Life of the Inuit (Bloomsbury, 2010).
2 Bernard Saladin D'Anglure, Inuit Stories of Being and Rebirth: Gender, Shamanism & the Third Sex (University of Manitoba Press: 2018).
3 "Jessie Oonark," Toronto Biennial of Art, torontobiennial.org/artist/jessie-oonark.
4 Christopher G. Trott, “The Gender of the Bear,” the journal Études/Inuit/Studies, vol. 30, no. 1, p. 89–109, 2006.