Description
This Sedna by Elijah Kavik from Sanikiluaq is a unique representation of the mythological figure of the Seawoman also known as a Sedna, the ancestor of various not quite human beings and various kinds of sea- mammals. An extensive version of this myth is recorded by Alexina Kublu and published in “A passion For The Arctic, The Hans Van Berkel Collection” by Cunera Buijs. (ISBN 978-94-6022-414-0). According to this version Uinigumasuittuq (She Who Never Wants To Get Married) ended up being tricked into marrying a Fulmar (a sea bird) and:
“…She was lonely now, and very regretful of her pickiness in refusing all those who had come courting. After a fairly long time, her father came all the way to visit his daughter. Because he found her to be neglected, he tried to arrange for her to leave. Before they had gone far, the fulmar arrived home, and realizing his wife had been taken, the husband followed. Because he couldn’t catch up, he made a great wind, and the father and daughter were caught by great waves. Because they were inevitably going to capsize, the old man threw his daughter into the water. Naturally his daughter grabbed hold of the qajaq. He hit her with his paddle, and, (when did this not work), he chopped off her fingers. As the parts that were chopped off fell into the water, they became the sea-mammals. There were seals, and then square-flippers,and then beluga. When the woman sank, she became the dweller of the sea floor…”
In this Sedna by Elijah Kavik, the Seawoman is depicted, in the typical argillite stone from Sanikiluaq, as having woman’s face and characteristics of a seal’s body and tail.
