Indigenous Arts & Stories - Great Grand Father

This image was created using Photoshop CS4 and is originally printed on an 11x17inch photo glossy paper. It represents the arrival of the Europeans in the north and one of the many beliefs and ways of life they have brought to the Inuit people.

The top part shows a ship, on which the explorers were able to reach the northern lands. To the left is a cross, representing religion, which was strongly established in the aboriginal communities. The bottom part shows three circles, which represent the ancient Inuit way of life, the community, where everybody had a role to support, share and positively thrive in the harsh conditions of the north.

The man is my great-grandfather; Aisa Koperqualuk, taken from a picture in the 1950's, which I acquired from the Frederica Knights collection at the Avataq Cultural Institute's archives. He was born in 1916 and passed away in 2001. Luckily, I have had the chance to meet him, yet was never able to properly communicate since he did not know any English.

Today, when I look at all the history he and every other Inuit have experienced, I am proud to say I am Inuk and am able to keep my roots alive while living in this modern society.