Kaajuk Kablalik — Art is My Medium for Preserving My Inuit Culture

Kaajuk Kablalik — Art is My Medium for Preserving My Inuit Culture - theHumm April 2021

By Sally Hansen

Art… and Soul

When I think of jewellery, I don’t usually think of walrus whiskers or whale baleen, but these natural materials feature prominently and beautifully in Kaajuk Kablalik’s distinctive pieces. Originally from Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, Kaajuk (friends call him Kaaj) loves working with the materials “from home” that inspire him to promote and preserve his Inuit culture.

He is used to questions about the unfamiliar components that make his earrings and necklaces so different from the usual fare available at shops and online. Did you know you could dye walrus whiskers vibrant shades of blue and red? Kaajuk’s favourite materials are ivory from the tusks of narwhals (the unicorn of the sea) and walruses, muskox horn, and baleen from bowhead whales. Baleen consists of keratin, the same substance found in human fingernails, skin and hair. It is a softer material of compressed fibre, once used in women’s corsets and misnamed whalebone, and Kaaj finds the baleen fun to work with. He describes the muskox horn as “very beautiful — very hard but yielding results with phenomenal depth and layers.”

An accomplished metalworker, he works with golds and silvers and brass, but uses them only to complement the natural beauty of his organic substances. “I see beauty in many things. Like a lot of places in Canada, the North is very beautiful. It can look barren, but when you look — when you really look — you find beauty in the detail. That helps me with designing my pieces.”

“Sivuniksattinu” — “For Our Future”

Jewellery is only one facet of Kablalik’s artistic pursuits. A few summers ago, his wonderfully supportive wife Jenna Rintoul signed him up for an introductory course offered by Valley glass artist extraordinaire Jennifer Anne Kelly (profiled in the October 2012 issue of theHumm). Hailing from the great frozen North, Kaaj still remembers how he suffered near her kiln in the summer heat, but the experience led to an amazing project that he counts among his greatest achievements in using his art to further his support of Inuit culture.

Kelly had a kayak frame and had been pondering the possibility of constructing a glass kayak. Kaajuk is a dedicated advocate for urban Inuit, and is heavily involved with Tungasuvvingat Inuit (TI), a not-for-profit service organization that provides support to Inuit throughout their entire life cycle. He is currently serving as the President of the Board tiontario.ca . Not only did TI have an authentic Inuit qajaq frame, the organization decided to support the project in partnership with the Neighbourhood Arts Ottawa program sponsored by Arts Network Ottawa.

The resulting 17-foot-long Sivuniksattinu Qajaq took more than two years to complete. Inuk Elder David Erkloo provided guidance to Alexander Angnaluak as he restored the weathered wooden frame to support over 70 glass panels, painstakingly created by Kaaj and Inuit artists Melissa Attagutsiak and Alexander Angnaluak, under the tutelage of Jennifer Anne Kelly.

The Sivuniksattinu Qajaq was triumphantly installed near the main entrance of the Ottawa Hospital’s general campus at 501 Smyth Road in January of 2020. It is a symbol of welcome to the Inuit community that the hospital serves, and a gesture of reconciliation. The inscription on the glass panel that describes the installation is in three languages — English, Inuktitut and French. On it, Kablalik explains to the three communities that the artwork: “…is a symbol of many things: culture, awareness, resilience, reconciliation and hope for the future… We wanted to present the piece in terms of recognizing and educating people about the history of Inuit in Canada from a darker past to a brighter future…”.

That is Kaajuk’s personal goal. He is fervent about preserving his native language and culture and it inspires every aspect of his art and life. Now the father of five boys, he is grateful that it was necessary for him to learn to speak his native tongue in order to talk to his paternal grandmother, because today he is able to communicate with the elders who don’t speak English.

Kaaj met his wife in Rankin Inlet where she had come to visit her sister, but like many Inuit, the couple have moved several times in pursuit of education and jobs. When Kaaj was in his early twenties they moved to Iqaluit to pursue his education through the Nunavut Arctic College. He did two years of a nursing program before deciding it wasn’t for him. He completed the jewellery and metal work program afterwards and is thoroughly convinced that he made the right decision. He is passionate about his art.

After the couple moved to Westport, he earned a diploma in business management and entrepreneurship from Algonquin College in Perth, and he recommends it to other artists as a highly worthwhile investment. Kaajuk’s grandparents on his mother’s side lived in the Almonte area, and he was familiar with Lanark County through holiday visits. When his wife found work in Ottawa, the couple moved to Almonte, and their sons are nearby.

When I commented on the amazing tattoo of a Snowy Owl on his right forearm, he explained that the Ookpik was his spirit animal. He cited a couple of experiences where he actually could have died, and both times an Ookpik was watching over him. He has a second tattoo of a raven on his other arm, also by his friend and fellow artist Sarah Wright, who does custom hand poke tattoos. Kaajuk also does custom pieces in collaboration with his clients, and I particularly admired an Ookpik ring. It turns out it was a custom order for his sister-in-law’s wedding, and his response to my enquiry was: “For custom pieces, it’s one and done.” That is the definition of unique.

When I asked him how he was coping with the ongoing stresses of the pandemic, Kaajuk responded with his characteristic optimism and good will. He feels lucky to be able to work from home and to set his own hours; he doesn’t have much trouble selling his work, and he feels very fortunate and very grateful. When I commented on his positive outlook, he replied, “I really try hard to put the same kind of energy into all the work I do. I feel the pieces I create need to come from a good place in my heart and soul. A little piece of me goes into each piece I make.” The back of Kaajuk Kablalik’s Trading Card on the next page contains the coordinates you need to contemplate the results of his exceptional outlook.