NUNAVUT
Three of Nunavut's renowned carvers are joining their creative forces to work on a monument to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement.

Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. has commissioned three carvers to design and execute a monument to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement. From left, carvers Looty Pijamini from Grise Fiord, Paul Malliki from Repulse Bay and Inuk Charlie from Taloyoak stand in front of a clay replica of the model in Iqaluit on May 16. - Emily Ridlington/NNSL photo

"My first thought was 'what has Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. accomplished over the last 20 years and how I am going to put that in three dimensions?'" said carver Inuk Charlie from Taloyoak.

He, along with Paul Malliki from Repulse Bay and Looty Pijamini from Grise Fiord, were chosen to work on the project which is to be unveiled on July 9, 2013 at the Four Corners intersection in Iqaluit, in front of NTI headquarters.

Earlier this month, the trio were in Iqaluit at a make-shift studio to work with Iqaluit-based artist Danny Osborne on a clay model of what the design will look like.

The design tells the story of how Inuit have had to adapt while maintaining their traditions. The bottom features an iglu and sod house while the middle has a drum dancer, a woman wearing an amauti, a raven, a muskox, a walrus, seals, birds and an Arctic hare. At its pinnacle sit two people lighting a qulliq.

Charlie said since there was no writing among the Inuit in the past there are lines around the sculpture to represent the oral history.

"If you listen to a song it tells a story," he said.

Malliki said his dream of working on a larger piece to commemorate all the hard work and things Inuit have done is now a reality.

Charlie said he started carving when he was seven years old, has a sculpture at the Detroit Zoo and has a contract with Tiffany's in New York to design Kitikmeot jewellery.

Malliki has had done commissions which have been given as gifts to former prime ministers Brian Mulroney and Jean Chrétien. In 1999, he was one of six artists who created Nunavut's mace for the legislative assembly and in 2000, he made a ptarmigan as part of the official symbols project for the assembly.

The plan is for the carvers to work on the chunk of granite chosen from the quarry in Iqaluit, which stands almost 4.3 metres tall, for 10 weeks each year for the next two years.

Pijamini has done several larger works including an NTI monument in Grise Fiord unveiled in September 2010 to commemorate those brought to Canada's most northerly settlement in the 1950s by the Canadian government during the High Arctic Exile.

He said the difference between the two projects is that this one is not three-dimensional.

"Even though it's bigger than what I've done before, it might not be that time consuming,' Pijamini said.

Each carver will have a youth apprentice to help with the project.

All three men said they were honoured to participate in the project and are looking forward to starting cutting the stone.

"As artists we want to make sure it flows together," Charlie said.

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