About
Woman Scraping Skin
Woman Scraping Skin
After skinning a seal, the fat and fascia must be removed. This is done with the crescent-shaped ulu, or woman’s knife, or a long, sharp scraper. In this sculpture, the skin is placed on a scraping board, hair down, and held under the knees or in the hand. The blade is constantly sharpened to prevent it from nicking the skin. After scraping, the skin is washed to remove excess oil that causes the skin to turn yellow. Today, the artist is well-known for directing films such as the internationally acclaimed Atanarjuat, the Fast Runner (2002) filmed near his home in Igloolik.
