Lucy Uppik Sr.

Sanikiluaq

Lucy Uppik Sr. was born in Sanikiluaq, Nunavut, in 1935. She is best known for her small-scale serpentine carvings and her traditional coiled basketry. She frequently combines these two mediums, creating baskets with miniature carvings attached to the lids.

Sanikiluaq (ᓴᓂᑭᓗᐊᖅ) is a municipality and Inuit community located on the north coast of Flaherty Island in Hudson Bay, on the Belcher Islands, in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut. Family, hunting, and spirituality are the pinnacles around which life in Sanikiluaq revolves. The harsh climate, remote location, and long history of subsistence and nomadic living have instilled in the Inuit of Sanikiluaq with an appreciation for these core values. Their lifestyle reveals that family and survival are paramount, a belief which is reflected throughout their art.