Inuit art and the quest for Canada's Arctic sovereignty

Summary: This paper examines the historical and archival records in an attempt to understand the extent to which Inuit art was intentionally put into the service of branding Canada as a northern nation for audiences both at home and abroad. The reader will find in the pages that follow an argument that unfolds cautiously, and suggests first and foremost that Inuit art, like all art, has a political dimension. Rarely examined through such a lens, the politics of Inuit art appear tied to nation building and to the integrity of Canada's northern sovereignty. The involvement of the Canadian state in the development and promotion of Inuit art dates back to the early years of the Cold War. This involvement began ignorant of the political power contained in early Inuit sculpture, but evolved quickly to channel the imagery unique to Canada's northern artists towards political ends.