© Maurice Achard
ᐃᓱᕐᕆᓯᐊᕐᑐᖅ ᐊᖏᔪᓂᒃ ᓴᓇᒋᐊᒥᒃ ᐅᕝᕙᓗᓐᓃᑦ ᐅᕿᑦᑐᐊᐱᐅᔭᕐᑐᓂᑦ ᓴᓇᓲᖅ ᐅᔭᕋᖅ ᐊᓯᑦᔨᐸᓕᐊᓂᔪᔮᑦᓯᐊᓱᓂ ᐊᓯᐊᓄᑦ. ᑕᒪᒋᒃ ᓴᓇᒍᓯᖏᒃ ᓄᐃᑕᑎᑦᓯᕘᒃ ᓱᓇᓕᒫᑦ ᐱᑐᑦᓯᒪᒻᒪᑕ, ᐃᓄᒃ, ᐆᒪᔪᖅ, ᓄᓇ ᓂᑯᕐᕋᕕᖏᑦ ᐊᓪᓛᑦ. ᐊᒥᓱᕋᑕᑦᓂᒃ ᓴᓇᒍᓐᓇᑐᖅ ᐊᒥᓲᓕᖓᔪᓂᒃ, ᐋᕐᕿᓯᒪᑦᓯᐊᑐᐊᑐᓂᑦ ᐅᔭᕋᕐᒥᑦ ᐊᑕᐅᓯᕐᒥᑦ. ᐱᔭᕇᕐᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᖓ ᐃᓅᒡᒐᒐᓱᐊᕐᑐᓂᑦ ᓄᐃᑕᑎᑦᓯᒍᓐᓇᑐᖅ ᐅᕝᕙᓗᓐᓃᑦ ᐃᔪᕐᓇᑐᓂᒃ ᐃᓚᒌᓂᓪᓗᓃᑦ ᐱᐅᓯᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᓂᐯᑦᑑᒐᐅᒐᕐᑐᓂᑦ ᐱᑦᓯᐊᑐᓂᒃ. ᑐᑭᓯᔭᐅᑦᓯᐊᓂᐊᕐᒪᑦ ᐊᓪᓚᓯᒪᑦᓯᐊᕖᖕᖓᓲᖅ ᐅᓂᒃᑲᐅᓯᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᓴᓇᔭᖓᑕ ᐊᑖᓂ. ᓴᓇᐅᒐᒥᑎᒍᑦ ᓘᑲᓯ ᓄᐃᑦᓯᕗᖅ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᒥᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᑐᐃᓐᓀᑦ ᐃᓕᕐᖁᓯᖓᓐᓂᒃ. ᐱᐅᓯᑐᙯᑦ ᑲᔪᓯᑎᑕᐅᑦᓯᐊᓚᖓᓂᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᓂᕆᐅᓐᓂᖃᑦᓯᐊᕋᓗᐊᕐᓱᓂ ᑐᑭᓯᒪᒋᕗᖅ ᐊᓯᐅᒻᒥᒪᑕ ᐃᓚᖏᑦ. ᓇᑯᕐᓴᓗᐊᖕᖑᐊᑐᖅ ᐃᓚᖏᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓴᓇᓯᑎᐊᓗᐃᑦ ᓄᐃᕙᓪᓕᐊᓕᕐᒥᒪᑕ ᐊᓯᑦᔨᕙᓪᓕᐊᓱᑎᓪᓗ ᐅᓪᓗᒥᐅᓕᕐᑐᖅ ᑭᖑᕚᓂ. ᓘᑲᓯ ᓇᒻᒥᓂᖅ ᐊᑑᑎᓯᒪᕗᖅ ᐱᒃᑲᕋᓱᐊᕐᓂᐅᓯᒪᔪᒥᒃ ᐃᓅᓯᕐᒥ ᐱᑦᓯᐊᑐᐊᓘᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᑎᑭᐅᑎᑦᓱᓂ. ᑖᓇ ᐊᖑᑎᒃ ᐅᖄᔭᕐᒥᓂᒃ ᑐᑭᓯᒪᓪᓚᕆᑉᐳᖅ. •
In 1942, Noah and Lucy Echalook had their second son, Lucassie. He did not go to school but left on hunting trips with his father from the Echalook camp, located 30 km north of Inukjuak. After the death of Noah in 1950, the family lived difficult times and was sometimes near starvation. To help out the family, Lucassie needed to become a good hunter and also learned to carve. His older brother Aibilie, though not as prolific, also became a talented carver. In 1965, Lucassie found his life partner Martha( Aculiak) within their camp. They now have a large family of nine. Still an active hunter, Lucassie continues to leave the settlement to go to the camp.
When he was a young carver, Inukjuak already had a large artistic community. He quickly understood that quality artwork proved more effective. Early on, he would carve large monolithic carvings. Lucassie also produced stone block prints for the 1975 Arctic Quebec and the 1976 Inukjuak print collections, and he is a great example of the Inukjuak style of carving. The themes often represent the Inuit way of doing things and the beliefs.
For Lucassie, it can take some time for inspiration to form. But when at last the stone is understood, the excitement of bringing it out pushes him along. When carving, he uses hand tools such as an axe, file, and knife. A drill only becomes necessary to start a hole. The hand tools offer better control and the time to think and react to what is shaping out. If the stone cooperates with no breaks and there is no need to modify his idea, he will then arrive at his favorite part: the finishing and final detailing, when all can see is the beautiful
stone as it was meant to be. Lucassie is comfortable with a monolithic style or light airy work where the stone seems to float from one form to another. In both, everything will be interconnected: the human figure, the animal and even the land they stand on. There are no limits to the complexity of forms he can interweave; all is beautifully arranged on one piece of stone. The finished carving could end up depicting a dramatic fight for survival, something funny or a quiet noble moment of family life. To help people understand everything about the piece, he generously inscribes the story under the base. Through carving, Lucassie is materializing his knowledge of the way of the Inuit. He has always been optimistic of the survival of the old ways but is aware that some have been lost. Thankfully, some Inuk talents are being revived and adapted by today’ s generation. Lucassie has experienced the struggle for survival himself and thrived. This man knows what he is talking about. •
© Richard Murdoch
32 KANGUQ Hiver / Winter 2017