Peter Pitseolak
Encyclopedia
Peter Pitseolak was an Inuit
photographer, artist and historian.
]
He lived most of his life in traditional Inuit camps near Cape Dorset, on the southwest coast of Baffin Island
, now in the Canadian territory of Nunavut
. This was a time of great social and technological change among the Inuit, from nomadic life to permanent settlements, from spears to rifles, from dogteams to snowmobile
s. Airplanes, electric generators and Western clothing were also changing the human environment. Pitseolak dedicated himself to preserving knowledge of the old ways, by writing, sketching, and especially photography. He documented customs, hunting techniques, stories and myths.
In 1912 Pitseolak met photographer Robert J. Flaherty
. Flaherty, best known today for his documentary movie Nanook of the North
(1922), inspired Pitseolak's interest in photography. It was not until the 1930s, however, that Pitseolak took his first recorded photograph. This was for a white visitor who was afraid to approach a polar bear for a shot. Pitseolak took the photo for him, using the visitor's camera.
In 1923 Pitseolak married Annie from Kimmirut
. They had seven children, of whom only two daughters, Udluriak and Kooyoo, survived. Annie died of tuberculosis in 1939.
In the 1940s Pitseolak was living in Cape Dorset working for fur-traders when he acquired his first camera, from a Catholic missionary. With the help of his second wife Aggeok (1906-1977), he developed his first photographs in a hunting igloo. Many difficulties had to be overcome, including extreme climate changes, high light levels from the reflective snowscape, and the difficulty of obtaining film and developer. Peter and Aggeok experimented. They used a battery-powered flashlight covered with red cloth as a safelight, and a lens filter made from old sunglasses.
He was also a painter, executing a series of watercolors in 1939 for John Buchan, later 2nd Baron Tweedsmuir
, son of Governor General John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir
. The younger Tweedsmuir was a fur trader with the Hudson's Bay Company
at the time.
Pitseolak wrote various diaries, notes and manuscripts, all in Inuktitut syllabics
. Along with Dorothy Harley Eber
he published People From Our Side (1975), the story of his early life, and Peter Pitseolak's Escape From Death (1977), an account of a near disaster among the ice floes.
He photographed himself, his family, and community members in real situations, and also posing with traditional clothing and implements. Pitseolak made more than 2,000 photographs of the disappearing way of life over more than twenty years. In 1961, at the age of 59, he left his camp at Keatuk and returned to settlement life at Cape Dorset. After his death in 1973, more than 1,500 negatives and photographs were purchased from his widow for the National museums of Canada
(now part of Library and Archives Canada
).
According to Terry Ryan, former manager of the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative, Pitseolak's nephew, Kananginak Pootoogook
, greatly admired and was influenced by his uncle.
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
photographer, artist and historian.
Life
He lived most of his life in traditional Inuit camps near Cape Dorset, on the southwest coast of Baffin Island
Baffin Island
Baffin Island in the Canadian territory of Nunavut is the largest island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, the largest island in Canada and the fifth largest island in the world. Its area is and its population is about 11,000...
, now in the Canadian territory of Nunavut
Nunavut
Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
. This was a time of great social and technological change among the Inuit, from nomadic life to permanent settlements, from spears to rifles, from dogteams to snowmobile
Snowmobile
A snowmobile, also known in some places as a snowmachine, or sled,is a land vehicle for winter travel on snow. Designed to be operated on snow and ice, they require no road or trail. Design variations enable some machines to operate in deep snow or forests; most are used on open terrain, including...
s. Airplanes, electric generators and Western clothing were also changing the human environment. Pitseolak dedicated himself to preserving knowledge of the old ways, by writing, sketching, and especially photography. He documented customs, hunting techniques, stories and myths.
In 1912 Pitseolak met photographer Robert J. Flaherty
Robert J. Flaherty
Robert Joseph Flaherty, F.R.G.S. was an American filmmaker who directed and produced the first commercially successful feature length documentary film, Nanook of the North...
. Flaherty, best known today for his documentary movie Nanook of the North
Nanook of the North
Nanook of the North is a 1922 silent documentary film by Robert J. Flaherty. In the tradition of what would later be called salvage ethnography, Flaherty captured the struggles of the Inuk Nanook and his family in the Canadian arctic...
(1922), inspired Pitseolak's interest in photography. It was not until the 1930s, however, that Pitseolak took his first recorded photograph. This was for a white visitor who was afraid to approach a polar bear for a shot. Pitseolak took the photo for him, using the visitor's camera.
In 1923 Pitseolak married Annie from Kimmirut
Kimmirut, Nunavut
Kimmirut is a community in the Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is located on the shore of Hudson Strait on Baffin Island's Meta Incognita Peninsula. Kimmirut means "heel", and refers to a rocky outcrop in the inlet.It was at one time a Hudson's Bay Company trading post, and a Royal...
. They had seven children, of whom only two daughters, Udluriak and Kooyoo, survived. Annie died of tuberculosis in 1939.
In the 1940s Pitseolak was living in Cape Dorset working for fur-traders when he acquired his first camera, from a Catholic missionary. With the help of his second wife Aggeok (1906-1977), he developed his first photographs in a hunting igloo. Many difficulties had to be overcome, including extreme climate changes, high light levels from the reflective snowscape, and the difficulty of obtaining film and developer. Peter and Aggeok experimented. They used a battery-powered flashlight covered with red cloth as a safelight, and a lens filter made from old sunglasses.
He was also a painter, executing a series of watercolors in 1939 for John Buchan, later 2nd Baron Tweedsmuir
John Norman Stuart Buchan, 2nd Baron Tweedsmuir
John Norman Stuart Buchan, 2nd Baron Tweedsmuir CBE, CD was a Scottish Peer and the son of John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir. He has been described as a "brilliant fisherman and naturalist, a gallant soldier and fine writer of English, an explorer, colonial administrator and man of business."...
, son of Governor General John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir
John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir
John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir was a Scottish novelist, historian and Unionist politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the 15th since Canadian Confederation....
. The younger Tweedsmuir was a fur trader with the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
at the time.
Pitseolak wrote various diaries, notes and manuscripts, all in Inuktitut syllabics
Inuktitut syllabics
Inuktitut syllabics is a writing system used by the Inuit in Nunavut and in Nunavik, Quebec...
. Along with Dorothy Harley Eber
Dorothy Harley Eber
Dorothy Harley Eber, is a Canadian author and one of the first people to transcribe and publish oral histories of Inuit people in Nunavut in both English and Inuktitut. She has devoted much of her life to preserving the history of the Inuit people. In the 1970s, she was one of the first writers to...
he published People From Our Side (1975), the story of his early life, and Peter Pitseolak's Escape From Death (1977), an account of a near disaster among the ice floes.
He photographed himself, his family, and community members in real situations, and also posing with traditional clothing and implements. Pitseolak made more than 2,000 photographs of the disappearing way of life over more than twenty years. In 1961, at the age of 59, he left his camp at Keatuk and returned to settlement life at Cape Dorset. After his death in 1973, more than 1,500 negatives and photographs were purchased from his widow for the National museums of Canada
National museums of Canada
National museums of Canada is the corporation name of the National Gallery of Canada, the Canadian Museum of Civilization, Canadian Museum of Nature and the National Museum of Science and Technology...
(now part of Library and Archives Canada
Library and Archives Canada
Library and Archives Canada is a national memory institution dedicated to providing the best possible account of Canadian life through acquiring, preserving and making Canada's documentary heritage accessible for use in the 21st century and beyond...
).
According to Terry Ryan, former manager of the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative, Pitseolak's nephew, Kananginak Pootoogook
Kananginak Pootoogook
Kananginak Pootoogook , was an Inuk sculptor and printmaker who lived in Cape Dorset, Nunavut. He died as a result of complications related to surgery for lung cancer.-Biography:...
, greatly admired and was influenced by his uncle.