© Maurice Achard
ᐃᓱᕐᕆᓯᐊᕐᑐᖅ ᐊᖏᔪᓂᒃ ᓴᓇᒋᐊᒥᒃ ᐅᕝᕙᓗᓐᓃᑦ ᐅᕿᑦᑐᐊᐱᐅᔭᕐᑐᓂᑦ ᓴᓇᓲᖅ ᐅᔭᕋᖅ ᐊᓯᑦᔨᐸᓕᐊᓂᔪᔮᑦᓯᐊᓱᓂ ᐊᓯᐊᓄᑦ . ᑕᒪᒋᒃ ᓴᓇᒍᓯᖏᒃ ᓄᐃᑕᑎᑦᓯᕘᒃ ᓱᓇᓕᒫᑦ ᐱᑐᑦᓯᒪᒻᒪᑕ , ᐃᓄᒃ , ᐆᒪᔪᖅ , ᓄᓇ ᓂᑯᕐᕋᕕᖏᑦ ᐊᓪᓛᑦ . ᐊᒥᓱᕋᑕᑦᓂᒃ ᓴᓇᒍᓐᓇᑐᖅ ᐊᒥᓲᓕᖓᔪᓂᒃ , ᐋᕐᕿᓯᒪᑦᓯᐊᑐᐊᑐᓂᑦ ᐅᔭᕋᕐᒥᑦ ᐊᑕᐅᓯᕐᒥᑦ . ᐱᔭᕇᕐᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᖓ ᐃᓅᒡᒐᒐᓱᐊᕐᑐᓂᑦ ᓄᐃᑕᑎᑦᓯᒍᓐᓇᑐᖅ ᐅᕝᕙᓗᓐᓃᑦ ᐃᔪᕐᓇᑐᓂᒃ ᐃᓚᒌᓂᓪᓗᓃᑦ ᐱᐅᓯᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᓂᐯᑦᑑᒐᐅᒐᕐᑐᓂᑦ ᐱᑦᓯᐊᑐᓂᒃ . ᑐᑭᓯᔭᐅᑦᓯᐊᓂᐊᕐᒪᑦ ᐊᓪᓚᓯᒪᑦᓯᐊᕖᖕᖓᓲᖅ ᐅᓂᒃᑲᐅᓯᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᓴᓇᔭᖓᑕ ᐊᑖᓂ . ᓴᓇᐅᒐᒥᑎᒍᑦ ᓘᑲᓯ ᓄᐃᑦᓯᕗᖅ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᒥᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᑐᐃᓐᓀᑦ ᐃᓕᕐᖁᓯᖓᓐᓂᒃ . ᐱᐅᓯᑐᙯᑦ ᑲᔪᓯᑎᑕᐅᑦᓯᐊᓚᖓᓂᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᓂᕆᐅᓐᓂᖃᑦᓯᐊᕋᓗᐊᕐᓱᓂ ᑐᑭᓯᒪᒋᕗᖅ ᐊᓯᐅᒻᒥᒪᑕ ᐃᓚᖏᑦ . ᓇᑯᕐᓴᓗᐊᖕᖑᐊᑐᖅ ᐃᓚᖏᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓴᓇᓯᑎᐊᓗᐃᑦ ᓄᐃᕙᓪᓕᐊᓕᕐᒥᒪᑕ ᐊᓯᑦᔨᕙᓪᓕᐊᓱᑎᓪᓗ ᐅᓪᓗᒥᐅᓕᕐᑐᖅ ᑭᖑᕚᓂ . ᓘᑲᓯ ᓇᒻᒥᓂᖅ ᐊᑑᑎᓯᒪᕗᖅ ᐱᒃᑲᕋᓱᐊᕐᓂᐅᓯᒪᔪᒥᒃ ᐃᓅᓯᕐᒥ ᐱᑦᓯᐊᑐᐊᓘᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᑎᑭᐅᑎᑦᓱᓂ . ᑖᓇ ᐊᖑᑎᒃ ᐅᖄᔭᕐᒥᓂᒃ ᑐᑭᓯᒪᓪᓚᕆᑉᐳᖅ . •
In 1942 , Noah and Lucy Echalook had their second son , Lucassie . He did not go to school but left on hunting trips with his father from the Echalook camp , located 30 km north of Inukjuak . After the death of Noah in 1950 , the family lived difficult times and was sometimes near starvation . To help out the family , Lucassie needed to become a good hunter and also learned to carve . His older brother Aibilie , though not as prolific , also became a talented carver . In 1965 , Lucassie found his life partner Martha ( Aculiak ) within their camp . They now have a large family of nine . Still an active hunter , Lucassie continues to leave the settlement to go to the camp .
When he was a young carver , Inukjuak already had a large artistic community . He quickly understood that quality artwork proved more effective . Early on , he would carve large monolithic carvings . Lucassie also produced stone block prints for the 1975 Arctic Quebec and the 1976 Inukjuak print collections , and he is a great example of the Inukjuak style of carving . The themes often represent the Inuit way of doing things and the beliefs .
For Lucassie , it can take some time for inspiration to form . But when at last the stone is understood , the excitement of bringing it out pushes him along . When carving , he uses hand tools such as an axe , file , and knife . A drill only becomes necessary to start a hole . The hand tools offer better control and the time to think and react to what is shaping out . If the stone cooperates with no breaks and there is no need to modify his idea , he will then arrive at his favorite part : the finishing and final detailing , when all can see is the beautiful
stone as it was meant to be . Lucassie is comfortable with a monolithic style or light airy work where the stone seems to float from one form to another . In both , everything will be interconnected : the human figure , the animal and even the land they stand on . There are no limits to the complexity of forms he can interweave ; all is beautifully arranged on one piece of stone . The finished carving could end up depicting a dramatic fight for survival , something funny or a quiet noble moment of family life . To help people understand everything about the piece , he generously inscribes the story under the base . Through carving , Lucassie is materializing his knowledge of the way of the Inuit . He has always been optimistic of the survival of the old ways but is aware that some have been lost . Thankfully , some Inuk talents are being revived and adapted by today ’ s generation . Lucassie has experienced the struggle for survival himself and thrived . This man knows what he is talking about . •
© Richard Murdoch
32 KANGUQ Hiver / Winter 2017