Ikayukta Tunnillie

Ikayukta Tunnillie (Inuktitut syllabics: ; also known as Tunnillie Tunnillie, Ikajukta Tunnillie, Ekayutaq Tunnillie, 1911–1980) was an Inuk artist in the fields of printmaking and drawing. Tunnillie was born in Cape Dorset, Northwest Territories, now Kinngait, Nunavut and travelled for much of her life. Tunnillie's work in drawing and printmaking focused on animals and life in the Arctic. She was one of the oldest printmakers to work with the West Baffin Eskimo Cooperative.

Early life Tunnillie's exact birth date is unknown, which is typical of that time in Nunavut. She was born somewhere near Frobisher Bay, Nunavut in 1911.

Family life and travelling

As a teen, Tunnillie was taken in by an older man named Iyola Tunili. Tunili already had a wife named Samalinga, but also wished to marry Ikayukta. The family lived in harmony together. The family included Tunili, his first wife Samalinga, their child, and Ikayukta. They spent many years on the move, travelling from Resolute Bay, to Clyde River, Pangnirtung, Nettilling Lake and finally to Cape Dorset. They lived in skin tents which they made and travelled by dogsled. As a young woman, Tunnillie travelled on the SS Nascopie from the south Baffin area to the Arctic Bay and the north Baffin coast. Tunnillie's first child was born aboard the Nascopie. After Iyola died from a respiratory infection, Tunnillie continued to travel with her second husband, Nungusweetuk. Tunnillie only settled in Cape Dorset in 1970, at the age of 59.

Career

Tunnillie began printmaking with the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative, which was a craft centre and Co-op store that formed in 1959. Tunnillie also found financial empowerment through her artwork. In an interview with the Cape Dorset Collection, she recalled carrying her art to the co-op to sell it. Tunnillie remarked, "I get pleasure out of drawing when I feel like it. And also when there is not enough money to buy food I know that I can help [my family] by selling some drawings. When I notice that there is something missing or that my family doesn't have enough food for the weekend or the week, that's when I draw – and also, when I feel like drawing, that's when I draw". She also became a grandmother and was widowed sometime before 1975. In 1980, the Cape Dorset Collection reported that she was house ridden because of painful joints. At that time she was living with her grandson and his family. Her last contribution to an exhibit was as part of the 21st annual Cape Dorset collection in 1980. She died that year in Cape Dorset as one of the oldest printmakers in the community.