Carver honoured

Levi Barnabas, High Arctic MLA spoke about Lootie Pijamini, the creator of the striking carving now standing in the middle of the legislative chamber floor.

“This carving that you see in front of you depicts a marine mammal and in Inuktitut we would call the mermaid Tuutalik. I don’t know where Sedna came from, but in the Inuktitut language we call her Tuutalik,” Barnabas said. “She is the mother of all marine life. As you can see, she is using marine mammals as her mode of transportation.”

Pijamini was born in 1953 in Clyde River and has been carving for more than 10 years. Pijamini has had recognition of various types, Barnabas said, winning the Eastern Arctic Fine Arts Crafts competition in 1994 and a 1996 Great Northern Arts Festival award.