Sedna heads to the Prairies after company acquires Bart Hanna Kappianaq sculpture

When Bart Hanna Kappianaq started working seven months ago on his latest Sedna sculpture, he didn’t know it would take him on a journey.

“I didn’t even have a clue about all these things until someone wanted to spend a good amount of money on it and I didn’t even think about that,” he said.

“I just made it.”

The 81-centimetre-tall, 63-centimetre-wide Inuit sea goddess with braided hair tangling in her mermaid-like tail has been acquired by Penn-co Construction, a company based in Manitoba.

Penn-co plans to unveil the piece Thursday in a ceremony at its headquarters in Steinbach, Man., and Kappianaq plans to be there.

“Sedna was very important to people,” he said in an interview before the unveiling.

“Many years ago, Sedna was the sea goddess for eastern Arctic areas like Igloolik. The ocean animals were very important because they provided heat for the qulliq and meat for the family and for the dogs.”

The sculpture is carved from a single piece of black and white stone sourced near Arctic Bay.

“We call it marble, but I think it’s more limestone,” Kappianaq said. “It’s a very good stone, as it has equal hardness all over and it’s very nice to carve with.”

Born in the Qikiqtaaluk region of Nunavut, Kappianaq was introduced to carving by his father. Kappianaq began developing his skills more seriously in the early 1960s, at the age of 14, while undergoing tuberculosis treatment in Ontario.

There, he learned by watching and working alongside other Inuit carvers in care. Kappianaq later studied formally at Algonquin College in Ottawa.

Now, at age 77, he has become one of the country’s foremost Inuit artists, with works in national collections and public institutions across Canada, including Parliament Hill.

Sedna is a recurring theme in his work.

Kappianaq created a sculpture titled Sedna with Friends in 2019 to mark the 20th anniversary of Nunavut’s creation. It now resides in Ottawa on Parliament Hill.

Another work, titled Migration, remains one of his most ambitious pieces: Created in 2013, it’s a 1.5-metre-long, 315-kilogram ship carved from a single block of stone featuring mythic figures including Sedna, a bird-shaped drum dancer, and a walrus shaman.

For Kappianaq, Sedna’s story remains relevant in Inuit mythology, especially in northern hunting practices.

“People would share their catch, because it was a very hard life. You had to depend on hunting and good hunters, but people would get hungry sometimes, and that was why it was important,” he said.

“However, if someone did not share their catch, Sedna would be very upset and people would have a hard time and the shamans, who communicate with Sedna, would have to investigate who is [responsible].”

Kappianaq said it has been a while since he last saw the Sedna sculpture heading to Manitoba, because it’s been boxed since its completion.

The public unveiling is scheduled for 10 a.m. at Penn-co’s head office and will feature remarks from the artist, company representatives, cultural leaders and community guests.

“This unveiling marks a significant milestone in Penn-co’s commitment to honouring Indigenous voices and narratives in the public spaces we help shape,” a statement from Penn-co, released May 29, said.

Kappianaq is already thinking about his next project — a large whale head bone he hopes to start working on once he returns home.

With warmer weather arriving in Igloolik, he said he’s looking forward to carving outdoors, something that’s difficult during the winter months when dust and limited space in the workshop make indoor work challenging.