Levi Alasua Pirti Smith was among the earliest carvers of stone sculpture for southern buyers in Puvirnituq, Quebec. Known for his fantastical and transformative figures, he alternates polish and rough incision to emphasize the twisting upward movement. Both Spirit Figure and the adjacent face carved into whale bone were once owned by Kathleen Fenwick, the first curator of prints and drawings at the National Gallery of Canada, who also served on the now-defunct Canadian Eskimo Arts Council._