Iola Abraham Ikkidluak

Iola’s wife Namonai is an artist. Their late son, Tutuyea was also a very talented carver. Iola began carving in the early 1960s.

He currently lives in Lake Harbour where he carves full time and spends his other hours hunting. He is an inveterate traveller and often works as a guide for fish and wildlife officers of the Government of the Northwest Territories. As a sculptor, Iola has a wide range of subject matter from small, nicely detailed birds and animals to large, museum quality pieces. He is particularly known for large, very detailed carvings of walrus. He speaks no english and is extremely traditional in his outlook. —Arts Induvik 1985

excerpt ©1997 Inuit Art Section, INAC