Lipa Pitsiulak
Canadian, 1943–2010
Shaman's Costume, 1984
Stonecut on paper, 41/50
49 x 51.3 cm Image: 37 x 42.5 cm
Collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery; Gift of Indian & Northern Affairs, Canada
G-89-1401
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Annual collections of prints have been published in Pangnirtung since 1973. Lipa Pitsiulak provided early leadership to the Pangnirtung Print Shop and later to the Pangnirtung Eskimo Co-operative, established in 1975. He continues to create drawings, many of which have been rendered into prints. He is also known for his imaginative sculpture. In 1977 his print, Disguised Archer, was reproduced on a Canadian postage stamp. All of his work reveals an interest in portraying traditional shamanic beliefs and legends, as exemplified by the print Shaman’s Costume. He lived in the community of Pangnirtung from 1967 to 1977, but then made the decision to move to a permanent outpost camp. In 1988 his life and art was the subject of a National Film Board film, Lypa.