Amittu, Davidialuk Alasua

Davidialuk Alasua Amittu (1910-1976) is one of the two best-known artists from Puvirnituq, along with his cousin, Joe Talirunili. A great Inuit storyteller-artist, he recounted legends passed down through the generations in his sculptures, drawings, and prints. He grew up in the family’s main camp, at the mouth of the Kugaaluq River, and was named after his grandfather, Davidialuk Alasua, and his father, Amittu. His earliest carvings were created in the early 1950s. By 1958, he carved Mythological Bird, one of his largest and most imposing works. It refers to the story of a village whose women, and then children, were transformed into gulls. Like many Inuit myths, the story encompasses themes of transformation, loss, and the origins of new lifeforms. Davidialuk’s art works have been included in many exhibitions and were the subject of Bernard Saladin d'Anglure’s book La Parole changée en pierre (Quebec. 1978).