Two Inuit Nivingajuliat Wall Hangings

mid 20th c., likely Baker Lake, Nunavut, Canada, felted wool and embroidery floss,; the first with thick dark green background with appliqued polar bears, fish, and birds, with embroidered details, hanging bar, without hanging string (some small areas of fraying to embroidery, otherwise good estate condition) (16.5 x 27.75 in. felt dimensions); the second olive green with appliqued arctic motifs including igloo and animals, with embroidered decoration, decorative stitching to edges, hanging bar with cord and antler finials (stain to white felt, small stains to background, minor fraying of embroidery, small areas of loss, otherwise good estate condition) (15 x 31.75 in. felt dimensions).
Using the sewing skills traditionally used for creating warm clothing out of furs and skins, a few Inuit women in Qamani’tuaq (Baker Lake), Nunavut, began a new sewing tradition in the late 1960s. With felt and embroidery floss provided by government sponsored arts and crafts grants, they created appliqued wall hangings called nivingajuliat. While initially made as an income supplement, and intended for tourists, nivingajuliat are ultimately a reflection and expression of Inuit culture, by Inuit women, containing elements and symbols of their oral histories, their environment and daily life, and their legends and imagination.
From the Collection of the late Judith Jacobson Magee, Durham, North Carolina
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