Napachie Pootoogook

1938-2002

Baffin Island, Nunavut Territory

Napachie Pootoogook was known both for her prints and, later in her career, for her original drawings. Napachie is known for documenting ancestral stories of camp life and legend. Since the 1960s her work has been a highlight of the Cape Dorset Print Collection. Her work was shaped by her experience as the last of a generation to live 'on the land' in a traditional way. Her mother, Pitseolak Ashoona, was a pioneer in the development of Inuit art in the 1950s. Her work influenced both her daughter, Annie Pootoogook, and her niece, Shuvinai Ashoona, to develop successful careers as artists.