Nuliajuk’s Story
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Winnipeg Art Gallery | Qaumajuq 300 Memorial Blvd, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 1V1
Germaine Arnattauyuq, "Sedna, Ruler of All Sea Animals," 1994
etching, aquatint on paper, 18/50, 48.2 x 56.2 cm Image: 29.8 x 34.9 cm. Collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery, Gift of Moira Swinton and Bernard Léveillé, 2019-316.
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Storytelling is one of the most important aspects of Inuit culture, passed down by elders through generations to enrich and enlighten.
The fluid nature of oral culture means details of certain legends also tend to be ever-evolving. Among the most famous of the vast array of oral storytelling traditions, are those related to the sea spirit known by different regions throughout the Canadian North as Nuliajuk, Taleelayuk, Takannaaluk, Arnajuinnaq, Uinigumasuittuq – or Sedna. In most of these stories, Nuliajuk becomes the guardian of the sea animals, and is a force to be reckoned with should you disrespect her creatures.
This exhibition serves to explore the multiple legends surrounding Nuliajuk and how artists from different communities have expressed them.