Sedna
The Sea Goddess

Pitseolak Niviaqsi, SEDNA, Kinngait (Cape Dorset), Stone, 10 x 4 x 5 1/2 in.

The traditional Inuit world is a place of enchantment, filled with strange spirits and supernatural beings. Governed by the unpredictable forces of nature, the Inuit used this mythology to explain, and perhaps control, these natural forces. In traditional times the spirit world was central to their culture; today, it has provided inspiration for some of the most lyrical and compelling images found in Inuit art. The most powerful of these spirits was Sedna, the spirit of the sea, for she controlled the very creatures the Inuit relied on for survival – the fish, sea animals and in some areas, the land animals as well.

The most commonly used name is Sedna, however across the Arctic there are thirty-seven names for the Sea Spirit, including Taleelayo ‘the one down on the sea bottom’ and Nuliajuk, ‘mother of all the beasts’. The story of Sedna is part legend, as it describes the life of a young Inuit girl. Similarly, it is part myth, as it tells the origin of the sea animals and explains their unpredictable behaviour. Myths and legends survive through an oral tradition, but given the isolation of traditional small Inuit communities, there are many variations on the Sedna legend.

A typical version of the legend was told by the Inuit of the Iglulik (Igloolik) area. They recounted the story of a young girl, whose husband proved to be a shapeshifter, revealing his true form as a vicious bird in human disguise. He kidnapped and carried her away to a distant land as her father pursued and rescued her. On the return journey the bird followed their boat, creating a violent storm with the flap of his wings. In fright, Sedna’s father threw her overboard to steady the boat. When she tried to cling to the boat, he hacked off the top joints of her fingers. As they fell into the sea they transformed into fish and seals; when he cut off the middle joints, they became the walrus, and the last joints, whales. Sedna then sank into the ocean where to this day she continues to rule as the mother of all beasts. This is only one of the many variations of the Sedna legend. While each version differs, two central elements remain the same: the creation of the sea animals from Sedna’s hands and her descent to the bottom of the sea where she remains as the Sea Spirit.

Tim Pitsiulak, SEDNA’S RESCUE, 2017, Kinngait (Cape Dorset), Stonecut, 21 3/8 x 27 3/4 in.

Sedna was a figure of awesome power to the Inuit, particularly those in coastal areas, because the animals she controlled were essential to their very survival. Most of the time she was a benevolent and nurturing spirit who gave up her animals to the hunters.  However, if the people did not show appropriate respect for the spirits of the animals, or if they broke one of the many local taboos, an angry Sedna could withhold the bounty of the sea. To appease her, the Inuit would fashion amulets, make offerings, or in extreme cases, ask the Angakoq, or shaman, to act as a mediator between the people and the spirit of the sea below. With the help of his own powerful spirits, he might hold a seance or even travel down to her home at the bottom of the ocean.

Some accounts say that, like all Inuit women, the Sea Goddess kept her hair neatly braided. When angered however, her long hair would become chaotically tangled, and the sea creatures would be caught in it. When the shaman reached her dwelling, he would brush and braid her hair to placate her, releasing the trapped creatures. In Samonie Toonoo’s Sedna Composition, the comb is prominently displayed. Once he had calmed her by performing this ritual, he would speak to her about the hardships of the people and attempt to discover the nature of their transgression. In this way, he would persuade her to release the sea animals to the people above.

The symbolism of her hair is central to understanding the story of Sedna. Thus, she is often depicted with her hair intricately braided or flowing smoothly behind her, providing wonderful compositional and textural possibilities for the artist. The beautiful ripples of hair which flow down the back of Adam Alorut’s Sedna are as common in sculptural depictions as the tight braids and exquisitely carved Sedna by Pitseolak Niviaqsi. One wonders if David Issuqangituq’s Sedna depiction is not shown as she is becoming more alarmed as her hair seems to have taken on a life of its own.

Oviloo Tunnillie, SEDNA, 1988, Kinngait (Cape Dorset), Stone, 16 x 13 x 3 1/2 in.

Just as there are many variations on the legend, there are many ways Sedna is presented. She is generally shown as a beautiful young woman with long hair. Surprisingly, she is most often depicted with her hands and fingers intact, and in some cases, even tattooed. But occasionally, as in the sculpture by Ningeosiak Ashoona, she is shown with fins in place of hands. Sometimes she is accompanied by other sea spirits, both male and female. In some areas of the Arctic, particularly in southern Baffin Island, some artists imagine sea spirits which are male and female or families; Davidee Itulu’s Sedna Family depicts a male and a female Sedna, each carrying a child. Her role as a nurturing mother often leads to the depiction of Sedna with prominent breasts, emphasizing her maternal role. Stemming from this more motherly and even heroic role, Tim Pitsiulak’s print, Sedna’s Rescue shows her rescuing a human from drowning in the sea. She can also be imbued with almost human qualities, such as the lyrical Singing Sedna by Silas Qayaqjuaq in which she balances on her tail with her head lifted in song in a diva-like pose. In contemporary art, southern culture is combined with myth in the whimsical and humorous Synchronized Sednas by Papiara Tukiki.

The allure of her legend and the imaginative possibilities afforded by her half-woman, half-fish form has made Sedna a frequent subject for works of art. Pitseolak Niviaqsi said he enjoys carving Sedna’s image, as the shape of her tail and the texture of her hair provide him with endless possibilities. Oviloo Tunnillie recalled the Sedna stories she was told as a young girl. Although she was not quite sure of Sedna’s existence, Oviloo liked to explore the many shapes and compositions of Sedna’s form in her sculpture. Her 1988 Sedna shows only the torso of the sea goddess, but the subject allows Tunnillie to create a flowing and exquisitely resolved sculpture – unmistakeably Sedna but the subject merely supplies the opportunity for a fully resolved contemporary sculpture in bas-relief.

Sedna’s mysterious legend continues to unfold in the hands and imaginations of these gifted artists. Just as the ancient stories of Sedna evolved into many rich and imaginative variations, images of the Sea Spirit in contemporary art are diverse and endlessly creative.  This exhibition celebrates this creativity and the artists whose work keeps the legends alive.