Tivi Etok
Encyclopedia
Tivi Etok is a Canadian
Inuit art
ist, illustrator
, and printmaker
. In 1975, he was the first Inuk printmaker to have a collection of his own prints released. He is now an Inuk Elder.
, Canada. His mother was Sarah, and he has a brother, Joe Willie. The family originated from the Tasiujaq region, later moving to the areas of Nachvak Fiord in Labrador
's Torngat Mountains
, and the Koroc River area of Quebec's Ungava Bay
watershed.
, he learned how to earn money as a printmaker in the 1970s.
In 1967, he befriended anthropologist Donat Savoie
who stayed with Etok and family while doing research for his masters thesis. The household included Etok, Sarah, and Joe, as well as Etok's wife, Susie (née Baron; 1939–2006) of Koroc River, and children, Minnie, Tomasi, Aatami, and Charlie. Etok and Savoie's friendship has lasted through the years, even after Savoie became a government official.
(Inuktitut
, English and French) biography of Etok's life was written by Jobie Weetaluktuk, and published in Nunavik
in 2008. The previous year, Scott Heyes' 2007 study entitled Inuit Knowledge and Perceptions of the Land-Water Interface, researched Kangiqsualujjuaq people, especially their knowledge and perceptions of their surroundings, and included Etok, plus three generations of his family.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Inuit art
Inuit art
Inuit art refers to artwork produced by Inuit people, that is, the people of the Arctic previously known as Eskimos, a term that is now often considered offensive outside Alaska...
ist, illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
, and printmaker
Printmaking
Printmaking is the process of making artworks by printing, normally on paper. Printmaking normally covers only the process of creating prints with an element of originality, rather than just being a photographic reproduction of a painting. Except in the case of monotyping, the process is capable...
. In 1975, he was the first Inuk printmaker to have a collection of his own prints released. He is now an Inuk Elder.
Early years
Etok was born in the camp of Qirnituartuq, near the community of Kangiqsualujjuaq, QuebecKangiqsualujjuaq, Quebec
Kangiqsualujjuaq is an Inuit village with a population of approximately 620, located on the east coast of Ungava Bay at the mouth of the George River, in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada....
, Canada. His mother was Sarah, and he has a brother, Joe Willie. The family originated from the Tasiujaq region, later moving to the areas of Nachvak Fiord in Labrador
Labrador
Labrador is the distinct, northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It comprises the mainland portion of the province, separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle...
's Torngat Mountains
Torngat Mountains
The Torngat Mountains are a mountain range on the Labrador Peninsula at the northern tip of Newfoundland and Labrador and eastern Quebec. They are part of the Arctic Cordillera. This is the peninsula that separates Ungava Bay from the Atlantic Ocean....
, and the Koroc River area of Quebec's Ungava Bay
Ungava Bay
Ungava Bay is a large bay in northeastern Canada separating Nunavik from Baffin Island. The bay is shaped like a rounded square with a side length of about and has an area of approximately...
watershed.
Career
Using sticks, Etok began drawing as a child. His early drawings were of animals and villages, while his later work consisted of supernatural beings and illustrations of legends. After attending a print workshop in PuvirnituqPuvirnituq, Quebec
Puvirnituq is an Inuit settlement in Nunavik on the Povungnituk River near its mouth on the Hudson Bay in northern Quebec, Canada. Its population is 1457 .The name means "Place where there is a smell of rotten meat"...
, he learned how to earn money as a printmaker in the 1970s.
In 1967, he befriended anthropologist Donat Savoie
Donat Savoie
Donat Savoie , an anthropologist, was the interim Executive Director of Canada's Inuit Relations Secretariat and chief federal negotiator for Nunavik self-government before his retirement in 2006.-Early years:...
who stayed with Etok and family while doing research for his masters thesis. The household included Etok, Sarah, and Joe, as well as Etok's wife, Susie (née Baron; 1939–2006) of Koroc River, and children, Minnie, Tomasi, Aatami, and Charlie. Etok and Savoie's friendship has lasted through the years, even after Savoie became a government official.
Later years
Now considered an Inuk Elder, a trilingualMultilingualism
Multilingualism is the act of using, or promoting the use of, multiple languages, either by an individual speaker or by a community of speakers. Multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. Multilingualism is becoming a social phenomenon governed by the needs of...
(Inuktitut
Inuktitut
Inuktitut or Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, Eastern Canadian Inuit language is the name of some of the Inuit languages spoken in Canada...
, English and French) biography of Etok's life was written by Jobie Weetaluktuk, and published in Nunavik
Nunavik
Nunavik comprises the northern third of the province of Quebec, Canada. Covering a land area of 443,684.71 km² north of the 55th parallel, it is the homeland of the Inuit of Quebec...
in 2008. The previous year, Scott Heyes' 2007 study entitled Inuit Knowledge and Perceptions of the Land-Water Interface, researched Kangiqsualujjuaq people, especially their knowledge and perceptions of their surroundings, and included Etok, plus three generations of his family.
Further reading
- Heyes, S. (2007). Inuit knowledge and perceptions of the land-water interface. Thesis (Ph.D.)--McGill University, Dept. of Geography, 2007. OCLC 277159992
- Weetaluktuk, J., Bryant, R., & Etok, T. (2008). Le monde de Tivi Etok: La vie et l'art d'un aîné inuit. Québec: Éditions MultiMondes. ISBN 9782895440994