Tuktuk and the Raven
$1,000.00
Available
Description
‘Tuktuk and the Raven’ by Laina Geetah (Qiatsuk) is a 2026 Cape Dorset original coloured pencil and Pentel drawing on paper — a minimalist and deeply expressive composition capturing an Inuit legend of transformation, breath, and shared spirit between caribou and raven.
Condition – No condition noted. Paper surface appears clean and stable.
Description by Artist – No description by artist found.
Notes from DaVic Gallery – In Inuit cosmology, animals and humans share a fluid relationship where breath, form, and spirit frequently intersect. Laina Geetah’s ‘Tuktuk and the Raven’ draws upon traditional oral stories featuring the caribou (tuktuk) and the raven (tulugaq) — two central figures in Northern life representing earth and sky, grounded endurance and airborne intelligence.
According to traditional tales, Raven and Caribou once engaged in a spiritual dialogue about their roles on the tundra. In one narrative variation, Raven envied Caribou’s endurance and sought to share its breath and sight. As Caribou exhaled, its warm breath materialized in the freezing air, giving form to a spirit raven emerging directly from its mouth. Geetah captures this precise moment of shared spirit: the bold red caribou stands firmly anchored to the earth, while a dark raven rises smoothly from its breath, its stylized face turned inward toward the caribou in intimate conversation.
Geetah’s mastery lies in visual restraint. Set against a serene, light lavender background, the contrast between the saturated red hide of the caribou, the pale ivory antlers, and the dense black silhouette of the raven creates a powerful graphic focus. It is a contemplative artwork that speaks to reciprocity, oral memory, and the unseen currents connecting all Arctic life.
The blank sheet of letter-size (8 ½ x 11 in) paper covering part of the image in the scale reference picture is provided for size comparison, offering an immediate sense of the drawing’s scale and presence.
Copyright – (c) DaVic Art Gallery, 2026. All rights reserved. Content may be quoted or reproduced for educational or promotional purposes only with clear attribution to DaVic Art Gallery of Native Canadian Arts and inclusion of the artwork title and the artist’s name.