Born in 1911, Abraham Etungat (1911-1999) lived a traditional life on the land before moving to Kinngait (Cape Dorset) in the 1950s. When his health forced him to stop hunting, he began to focus on carving.

This wonderful sculpture combines Etungat's two principal subjects -- birds and people. The bird is almost a miniature bird of spring, Etungat's signature subject. Both the bird and the man are animated, with the bird flapping its wings and the man captured in the act of jumping to grasp the bird. The delicacy of the connection between the two is breathtaking. The sculpture looks so natural that it's hard to overlook how daring the carving is.

About Alaska on Madison

In keeping with our self-description as a virtual gallery run by collectors for collectors, we are offering a limited number of pieces. Every piece is one that we would be happy to have in our personal collection, and the description of each piece explains why. 

We are happy to assist you with inquiries, with searches for particular pieces or artists, with organizing your collections and with buying or selling at auction. Our  Inuit artist search tool  is available on our website , and we would be delighted to help you use it. If you prefer to puzzle things out for yourself,  Deciphering Inuktitut Signatures  will help you to identify artists. 

 

We are always pleased to answer questions or just chat. You can contact us by email or by phone at  (908) 487-5757 (note new phone number).

Our very best wishes to you all.

Ann and Michael Lesk