In a sculpture by David Ruben Piquokun that he showed in his one-man exhibition in 1995 entitled between two cultures (that of the white man and of the Inuit), he shows Sedna offering government housing instead of fish! The side of her face shown, with a white eye and no scarification, is that of the white man; the other side, not shown, is that of the Inuit, and has a red eye, scarification and an animal ear.
Photo by Michael Kingsberry, Select Cut Media LLC
In another sculpture by David Ruben Piquokun, Sedna offers knowledge, since she sees everything with her three eyes and tells all with her two mouths. She is embracing the egg of all knowledge.
Photo by Michael Kingsberry, Select Cut Media LLC
A famous story of Sedna is that she has been washed ashore and needs someone to get her back into the sea. An Inuk passes by and she persuades him to use a stick to roll her to the water, which is does. This is shown in the sculpture by Davidialuk Alusua Amittu, the major story-teller artist of the Inuit.
Photo by Michael Kingsberry, Select Cut Media LLC
Once she is in the sea, Sedna wants to reward her savior. “Come back tomorrow,” she says, “and I’ll have gifts for you.”
“No need,” he replies.
“Yes, please come.”
He does, and Davidialuk’s sculpture shows that she has brought him three presents: a sewing machine (abstractly shown on her back), a rifle and a gramophone. Each of these three items changed the life of the Inuit people. She is still a provider, but not fish this time.
Photo by Joram Piatigorsky
A beautiful sculpture by Davidialuk that I especially like but can’t relate to a particular story (although there may be one) shows Sedna holding her tail and that of her child swimming behind her.
Photo by Michael Kingsberry, Select Cut Media LLC
Sedna creeps into many stories, including Greek mythology, as shown in the small sculpture called Sea Spirit by Mattiusi Naulituk. This Sphinx-like sculpture from the Sugluk area of north Quebec draws on the Persephone and Demeter myth and archaic archetype of the Great Mother.
Photo by Michael Kingsberry, Select Cut Media LLC
Finally, Bill Nasogaluak sculpted Sedna being crucified. I am uncertain if this means that Christianity, which had a great influence in the Arctic, has crucified the Inuit God Sedna, or, more likely, Sedna is the Inuit God, as Jesus is the Christian God.