Selling on behalf of numerous artists and craftspersons in Ulukhaktok, Donna Akhiataq minds her table at the Midnight Sun Complex. She said she collects the items over the course of the year to bring out to the market.
It was a bit different than usual, but Inuvik came together Nov. 27-29 for its annual Annual Christmas Craft & Gift Fair, organized by the Great Northern Arts Society. Covid-19 restrictions limited how many tables could be set up and how many people could be in the Midnight Sun Complex at once, requiring would-be shoppers to book their time at the main building in advance. To accommodate merchants, both the Inuvik Youth Centre and Children First Centre opened their doors for additional table space for the vendors.
A second Arctic Market is being planned for Dec. 19.
Marlene Snowshoe, of Fort McPherson, shows off some of her beadwork she’s selling. She said she’s been beading so long she can’t remember when she started, and estimated she could make a bead pattern in roughly a day.Holding a doll handcrafted by Elders in Sachs Harbour, Shelley Hoagak minds her table. The dolls went really quickly, by Saturday they were completely sold out.Showing off her home-made canvases and Christmas ornaments, Simera Bleakney of Inuvik minds her table. She individually painted each and every dot in the patterns.Vince Deschames sells designs made by his wife, who sent the items up to him from Guelph, Ont. He said the goods arrived just in the nick of time, literally hours before he had to set up his table.Fatima Tin shows her work, having learned traditional local crafts and taking up the effort herself. The beadwork she says she bought from other local artists.Sallie Ross sells her homemade hairbands and artwork made by her family — the crochet work was done by her mother, who normally comes up from Alberta to sell it herself, but couldn’t because of Covid-19. The beadwork and earrings were made by her daughter, who was self-isolating at the Mackenzie Hotel.Shirley Elias and Alice Hunter mind their table. Elias was taking her first crack at making Christmas stockings, while Hunter sold homemade parkas.Sitting behind a wall of ookpiks, Catherine Cockney sells homemade mittens, mukluks and beadwork. She said she could complete a mitten in a day, but the mukluks usually take her up to three, depending on how much time she has to spend on the cutting.Lorna Storr sells items for a number of her friends in Aklavik and Fort McPherson. She was particularly proud of the canvas mittens her daughter made.Annie Felix sells numerous homemade goods from crafters in Tuktoyaktuk. She had a large variety of items, including debit card holders and dolls made out of both driftwood and whale bone.Annie Gordon sells homemade ulus, traditional glasses, scrapers, hairpins and inuksuks, as well as other homemade goods. She and her husband made all the tools themselves.Danny Gordon sits with his table of throwing slings for ice fishing — made out of muskox antler, and other hunting tools including homemade knives. Many of the handles for the knives were made out of moose and caribou antler.Laura Hicks sells homemade bath bombs, some of which she hand painted as well. She was also selling traditional sewing work on behalf of Emma Wolki of Tuktoyaktuk.Wilma Dosedel, of Inuvik, sells her homemade traditional covers made for women and children. Each item is made out of pre-wash cotton and comes with its own instructions on how to care for the one-of-a-kind piece of clothing.Florence Katauyak shows off a doll, gloves, ookpiks, sculptures and furs on behalf of 21 artists in Ulukhaktok. She had two tables full of the goods.Brianna, Esther and Georgina Wolki, of Paulatuk, work on items as they mind their table at the Inuvik Youth Centre. All the items were made over the course of 10 days.
Tracy Blythe shows off her hand-made paintings and jewellery. Many of the paintings are drawn out of her excess paint marks and re-imagined into a painting.
Crystal Navratl sells her homemade jewellery, as well as a few items for friends. She said she’s been making earrings since Grade 6 — having taught herself in shop class while everyone else was making boxes.Julianne Andre and Brenda Koe from Tsiigehtchic show off their Tupperware items. Noting the brand includes a lifetime guarantee from chips and breaks, she noted she was hosting several prize draws throughout the weekend.
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