Smith, Levi Alasua Pirti (1927-1986) was one of the best-known of the Puvirnituq carvers, and pieces in the WAG collection date from 1961 to 1975. He took his surname from the place where he was born, Cape Smith, Nunavik. The camp was abandoned in the 1950s due to a tuberculosis epidemic and the people resettled in Puvirnituq. About 70% of the Cape Smith population was sent to southern tuberculosis hospitals, including Smith who spent a year in the hospital. Unlike most carvers, Levi was more interested in art than in hunting. Beginning with large, roughly finished sculpture in the 1950s, he progressed to a highly polished style which tended to be abstract. When asked what his carvings mean, he says they are male, they are spirits, they are malevolent, and are threatening to people.

In 1967, he participated in a carving competition held in Puvirnituq that was in response to carvers’ complaints that they were tired of just carving animals and people all the time. In this competition, they were encouraged to carve anything they wanted. He and several other carvers in Puvirnituq continued to create representations of dreams, fears, and spirits and many of those in the WAG collection were featured in an exhibition, Inuit Fantastic Art in 2014.