Born in 1935 and residing primarily in Arctic Bay, Baffin Island, Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Pauloosie Akitirq began carving in 1963 alongside his wife Atoat Akitirq. In the 1960s, this region was known to produce sculpture in argillite and whalebone, much of which had been left by American and Scottish offshore whalers a century earlier. The use of whalebone in Inuit sculpture was not common before the contemporary period, and in order to be used successfully, it had to come from a historical source. Fresh whalebone was too oily for this purpose. In 1974, a lead-zinc mine opened in Nanisivik and led to the decline of carving in Arctic Bay as it provided an alternative income source for many.

Carved from a single piece of whalebone, this sculpture depicts a man standing on a seal which is being held in place by a seal skin strap. It represents the traditional harpoon seal hunt. The artist expertly utilises the bone’s natural texture and colour to differentiate man and seal but avoids fine detail due to the porous surface of the bone. This subject was likely taken from life experience, as Akitirq and his wife spent summers living in camps and hunting in the traditional way.