This is just a sample of some of the art at Kinngait, and you can see all over Nunavut. I did purchase the two items in the pictures above. I felt bad about the polar bear because I haggled him way down on his original price, but I did want to purchase a couple things as I may not be there again. The other art piece a 12-year-old boy who sold it to me. Depending on the size and type of stone used, they can cost anywhere from forty dollars for small stuff to thousands of dollars.
I got the pleasure of meeting the maintenance manager at Kinngait. he showed me around town a bit and we had a few good conversations. He spent 10 years on leave because of PTSD from the incidents that happened to him with the Residential schools. He was one of the people who helped tear down the residential school in Kinngait. He took a piece of steel from the rubble, and he made it into a sword with hand carved stone handle. It was absolutely gorgeous. It’s his symbol of the power he has now gained over the residential school. He had the sword appraised and was told it was worth 50,000 dollars. He also carves motorcycles and more modern items in stone. His stuff sells for around $10,000 so, I could not afford any, and with the amount of stuff he shared with me in the couple days. I didn’t quite feel right asking for pictures. He has artwork in the museum of Toronto on display as well.
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