In the early 1950s, Inuit artists produced many fine works, such as this piece entitled Inuk Fishing. The sculptor Akeeaktashook is believed to be the artist. A federally sponsored project provided supplemental income to the artists, preserving their skills and legends, which were passed on to the next generation. The Hudson’s Bay Company became a buyer, seller, and collector of Inuit art. Through a guide produced by the Canadian Handicrafts Guild, HBC staff learned what to look for, how much to pay, and how to market the artwork. The company opened three warehouses in Toronto, Montreal, and Winnipeg to house it.
In The Beaver
90 Years Ago
Arctic travel
A 3,943-kilometre trip to Fort Liard, then back to Fort Simpson and north to Good Hope in the Northwest Territories and back would surely be trying at the best of times. However, when the journey was made with ill dogs that had meagre feed, and done in bad weather over rough terrain, the difficulties were compounded. Philip Godsell, an HBC district inspector, recalled the trials and tribulations of covering the vast northern Mackenzie River region in the May 1921 issue.
60 Years Ago
School days
Author Mary Elizabeth Colman focused on young Jimmy (Robert James) Anderson, who, along with his sister Eliza, was tearfully left at British Columbia’s first school at Fort Victoria in 1850. Along with several other children, the siblings endured austere surroundings, exacting lessons, hard labour in the chaplain’s garden, and strict Sunday prayers. But the December 1951 issue also tells of outdoor excursions and mischievous fun, which afforded the youngsters rare periods of freedom.
30 Years Ago
Drumbeat
Brian Lewis retold an ancient legend of three families –– Cree, Chipewyan, and Inuk –– who came to a small lake in northern Saskatchewan to hunt. In the evenings, a drumming competition ensued between the families, which culminated in the death of the men. “Battle of the Drums” explains the origin of conflict and co-operation and is accompanied by illustrations by Germaine Arnaktauok in the Winter 1981 issue.