Dancing Bears, Shaman Bears & Drumming Bears: Inuit Polar Bear Sculptures

From November 20, 2010 until January 29, 2011, True North Gallery presents “Dancing Bears, Shaman Bears & Drumming Bears: Inuit Polar Bear Sculptures.”

The Inuit call him Nanuq—their word for “polar bear,”—as well as Pisugtooq, “the great wanderer,” andTornarssuk, “the one who gives power.” They regard the great white bear as kin, teacher, and the master of the animals. The Inuit even claim that they learned how to hunt seals and build igloos from Nanuq.  So it’s not surprising that so many Inuit artists choose the polar bear as the subject for their carvings.

In “Dancing Bears, Shaman Bears & Drumming Bears: Inuit Polar Bear Sculptures,” True North Gallery presents a collection of stone polar bear carvings by Canadian Inuit artists from the arctic communities of Cape Dorset, Igloolik, Arviat, Gjoa Haven, Akulivik, Kimmirut, and Iqaluit.  True to the name of the show, the bears are depicted in a variety of poses and roles. The dancing bears seem to gracefully defy gravity as they balance on one foot or wave their limbs in the air. Some Inuit artists assert that the dancing bears represent a shamanic transformation between a bear and a human. Others claim that the dancing reflects a state of celebratory joy. The Inuit believe that after death people return as animals, and those lucky enough to return as the great white bear at the top of the food chain dance to celebrate their good fortune.

There are several ways that Inuit artists represent a “shaman bear,” which is a shaman that has transformed into a bear. Shaman bears are sometimes depicted as having short, thick necks (in contrast to the polar bear’s long neck), which represent the last remaining sign of human identity.  Artists also depict shaman bears by carving them in shaman coats, which look like hooded parkas; or by carving them holding drums, which are associated with shamans.

One of the most interesting pieces in the show is a bear drummer by Louie Makkituq from Gjoa Haven. The bear is wearing an amauti (a special Inuit parka designed to carry a baby), and there is a cub in the amauti, on the bear’s back.  From both human and polar bear perspectives, this is a female because only Inuit women wear the amauti, and only female bears carry cubs. Therefore, Makkituq’s carving depicts a female bear shaman, or shaman mother. Pieces like this are hard to find.

In addition to dancing, drumming, and transforming into shamans, the show also includes walking bears, sitting bears, wrestling bears, and bears looking up at the north sky. All works are for sale and True North donates 5% of profits to the NRDC to support their conservation efforts up North.

Opening Reception: Saturday, November 20, from 4 until 7 PM

True North Gallery is open Wednesday through Saturday 12 to 5PM and Sundays by chance and appointment. We will have extended hours during the winter holidays. For additional information call (978) 468-1962 or email[email protected].