Sea Woman: Sedna in Inuit Shamanism and Art in the Eastern Arctic

by Frédéric B. Laugrand, Jarich G. Oosten

This study offers an in-depth examination of the role of shamanism in modern Inuit art and culture. Inuit shamans derived their healing skills and power over natural elements from their ability to communicate with supernatural beings, such as Sedna the sea woman. As the authors document here, despite the current domination of Christianity, contemporary Inuit life and culture is still powerfully shaped by the shaman tradition. They focus on representations of the sea woman as an example of shamanism contextualized in art and explore what these depictions reveal about the dialogue between Inuit and Western cultures in the twentieth century.

 

160 pages, Hardcover

First published January 15, 2009