Pitseolak Ashoona

Raised in the traditional camp life of southern Baffin Island, Pitseolak endured severe hardships, raising six children alone across the Arctic tundra following her hunter husband's death. Settling at Cape Dorset in the late 1950s, she began drawing for the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative.

Over two decades, Pitseolak produced more than 7,000 lively, joyful drawings depicting shamans, bird spirits, skin tents, and camp life, establishing the international reputation of Inuit graphic art. Her 1971 illustrated autobiography, Pictures Out of My Life, was the first book published in English and Inuktitut syllabics.