Taloyoak (June 09/03) - In the mid 1970s, a group of women in Taloyoak sat down for a coffee break and started imagining what northern animals would look like if they were packing babies in an amauti like the Inuit women in the community did.

A random thought, maybe, but it didn't take long for these thoughts to turn into dolls and for the dolls to turn into collectors' items.

Taluq Designs, an artist cooperative in Taloyoak, specializes in what has come to be known as Spence Bay Packing Dolls.

"We let Peeteekotee Ugyuk try one just to see what it would look like. It looked good so we started making more.

"The first one was a fish," said Mona Iqutsag, general manager of Taluq Designs.

Ugyuk was the woman who started the trend and her talents made her one of Nunavut's most renowned doll makers.

Since Ugyuk's death, women in Taloyoak have continued the craft and still produce some of Ugyuk's original designs.

There are now about 13 different packing animals produced by Taluq Designs.

The animals include polar bears, owls, fox, beluga and they are all Northern animals. Each packing doll is made from 100 per cent wool duffle and is dressed in a hand-embroidered woman's amauti. Hiding in the amauti is the baby version of each animal.

The packing doll has not only put Taloyoak on the map, it has created jobs for people in the community.

"I hire people and supply them with the material.

"They take it home, sew it together and we pay them for the piece," said Iqutsag.

The NDC wholesale outlet in Mississauga distributes the product all across North America and Europe.

The best place to buy the dolls, however, is closer to home.

"This is the cheapest place to get your packing animals - come straight to the community," said Iqutsag.