Kuujjuaq beading workshop builds social bonds, creativity

Beading instructor Mary Aitchison talks with workshop participant Sarah Grist in Kuujjuaq last month, while some of her own bead work sits on display. (PHOTO BY ISABELLE DUBOIS)

These doilies were beaded by Julie Grenier, who also teaches beading in Kuujjuaq. (PHOTO BY ISABELLE DUBOIS)

Some of beading instructor Jennifer Watkins’ qalliniit on display. (PHOTO BY ISABELLE DUBOIS)

Like many Inuit girls, Mary Aitchison was only six when she started working with beads.

She and other budding seamstresses would string beads to create the edging for qalliniit, the decorative tongues sewn onto kamiks. The girls would leave the more intricate work for more experienced women.

But even when Aitchison was old enough to bead a qalliniq herself, she’d struggle to make each one just right.

“Anaana, they don’t match,” Aitchison said she’d tell her mother. “And Mom would say to me ‘But that’s the beauty of it.’”

Today, retired from the Kativik School Board, and with decades of experience in beading, Aitchison beads exquisite flowered panels that adorn sealskin purses. But she stands by her mother’s words.

“Beading interprets the beauty we see around us,” Aitchison said. “I encourage students to do their own designs that come from their own environment.”

Aitchison is one of a handful of beading artists in Kuujjuaq who have been sharing their skills with other women in the community for a few nights a week.

Through the late summer and into fall, Kuujjuaq’s sewing centre fills on Monday and Wednesday evenings with women and thousands of colourful glass seed or Delica beads, ready to be woven into a new creation.

While some women work on qalliniit or doilies, Aitchison helps beaders create panels to decorate purses or other clothing items.

“What I appreciate about my craft is how wonderful is it that we can wear our art,” Aitchison said. “I also find beading very relaxing, we get to socialize and talk about what it means to us. And when we finish our products, there’s so much pride.”

Beads, sapangait in Inuktitut, began arriving in the eastern Canadian Arctic with the start of European trade.

Even 200 years ago, beads had already become a sought-after trade item.

Journals of British explorers on William Parry’s Northwest Passage expedition in the early 1820s noted the widespread use of beads by seamstresses in Igloolik, which were arranged in coloured strands to decorate women’s parkas.

As the beads’ popularity grew across the Arctic, different regions developed distinct styles of beadwork.

In many ways, beading hasn’t changed, says Jennifer Watkins, who grew up watching her grandmother and relatives sew beads they’d bought from the Hudson’s Bay Co. into different fabrics.

But Watkins has also seen beading evolve and attract younger women to the art.

“Beading has become very popular,” said Watkins, who teaches qalliniq beading in Kuujjuaq. “Years ago, I felt like I was the only one beading with the elders. But now, you see mothers and daughters, all ages beading together.”

And style is evolving too, she said, with women beading more intricate Inuit symbols, like inuksuit, into their work. Beaded earrings are a popular item on Kuujjuaq’s sell-swap Facebook page.

“My dream is to get someone from Greenland to come to Kuujjuaq and show us what they do,” Watkins said. “They bead into clothing a lot more.”

Alena Stevenson, 22, took part in the Kuujjuaq beading workshop this year. She’s still working on a pair of red qalliniit for sealskin boots which she plans to give someone as a gift.

“I always feel like it’s the best way to let out your creativity,” said Stevenson about beading. “People get to share ideas and enjoy a pastime.”

Kuujjuaq’s workshop space can be busy and loud, and other times completely silent while women concentrate on their projects.

But there’s always plenty of support and laughter, said Aitchison.

“[In Nunavik] we often talk about how to re-engage Inuit men,” Aitchison said. “When I see mothers and daughters working together, it’s a wonderful way to build social bonds. How could we capture that for our men?”

Julie Grenier helps workshop participant Betsy Angnatuk with a beaded doily last month in Kuujjuaq. (PHOTO BY ISABELLE DUBOIS)