The Inuit in this community in south-eastern Hudson Bay have been marketing high quality soapstone carvings for over thirty years. Most of these have been bought by the local Co-op store and Northern Stores for resale to markets in the south.
Several carvers have had their own exhibitions and at the height of Inuit carving
exposure some have been presented as gifts to dignitaries i.e. Davidee Kavik's carving to Queen Elizabeth II in England,and we can all remember how thankfull we were that Prime Minister Jean Chretien had a soapstone Loon in his bedroom to fend off an intruder.



Despite their durable appearance, stone sculptures need to be handled with care. Keep the stone clean, and fully support the sculpture when moving it. Ship in humidity-controlled packing cases with sufficient protection from mechanical shock. Avoid displaying your stone sculptures in areas near a door or air vents.

One type of stone used in Inuit sculptures is argyllite. It is composed largely of clay materials that have been subjected to heat and pressure to form the fine, uniform and easily workable material. The general consensus among geologists is that the rock formations that make up the Belcher Isalnds were once molten lava from a prehistoric volcano and the compression was from subsequent glaciers during the last ice age.

But argyllite also absorbs and desorbs water from the atmosphere, resulting in dimensional changes. Water absorption and desorption are greater at higher and lower humidities, so it's best to maintain the relative humidity between 30 per cent and 50 per cent.

Though argyllite isn't reafly sensitive to light, high light levels using incandescent lamps (especially in enclosed display cases) must be avoided since the increase in temperature at the surface of the material results in a decrease of relative humidity.

Water should not be used to clean argyllite, but slightly damp cotton swabs can be used to remove spots of dirt. Care must be taken to preserve the high glossy sheen as some sculptures have "etching" to reproduce the natural markings of the animals and birds.For more information about the care of argillite and other stone sculptures, contact the Canadian Conservation Institute at (613) 998-3721 or fax them at (613) 998-4721.

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