Unveiling an Inuit Goddess sculpture

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This article was published 16/06/2025 (405 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A construction partnership which aims to aid housing in Nunavut commemorated their collaboration with a gifted mythical Inuit sculpture on June 5.

Bart Hana, sculptor, presented the sculpture to Penn-co in their Steinbach office. He spent seven months carving the Sedna from stone he sourced locally in Nunavut.

“Life was very hard for us living on the land, except there was a sea goddess providing food—sea animals,” said Hana, who has created more than 10 sculptures of Sedna.

Sedna is a mythical Inuit goddess, who is believed to control the animals in the sea, which Inuit peoples eat primarily, according to The Canadian Encyclopedia.

Hana said in his culture it’s important to maintain a good relationship with the goddess so she continues to share the sea creatures with hunters.

The importance of the partnership between Penn-co and Arctic Fresh Projects was highlighted.

“There’s a lot of houses that have many people in them—sometimes two to three families. A lot of the times it’s mentally hard. It can lead to depression and even suicide,” said Rhoda Angutimarik, owner of Arctic Fresh Projects.

Around 90 people attended the unveiling in-person and online. The event also included caribou meat for tasting.