"Dynamic, powerful and energetic" are the words the 16 member jury, comprised of Aboriginal leaders in various fields, used to describe Ohito's work. They then stated that this only begins to describe his work. Furthermore, "Words will never do his carvings justice. Only when you behold the tenderness between a mother polar bear and her cub as created by Ashoona's hands and mind, or watch cold serpentine stone evoke the warmth and caring this artist has watched and then brought forth from his Arctic home and culture, can his skill truly be felt."

We couldn't agree more. We have always felt that Ohito, our resident artist carving exclusively for the Eskimo Art Gallery, had a unique talent. Ohito Ashoona is one of the few Inuit artists who consistently carve works that have a relationship with nature; whether it is a bear sneaking up on a seal basking in the sun, a bird of prey guarding her nest, a mother bear walking with her cub, a bear on an ice floe, or two bears playing on the snow. With Ohito's work there is always a story to be told, whereas most other Inuit artists carve single subjects: a bear, or a walrus, or a seal.

It is for this reason, and for the quality of the work he does, that Ohito Ashoona was chosen as the winner for the 2002 National Aboriginal Achievement Awards in the Visual Arts category. This very prestigious award is open to all Inuit, Metis and Indian peoples in Canada.

When you read Ohito's biography, it will become apparent to you that this man has had a very close relationship with nature, having spent all of his formative years living not in a settlement or community, but at an outpost camp. Here, he lived the traditional Inuit lifestyle in every sense of the word.

Although there were short visits into town to buy supplies, for all intents and purposes, he lived and subsisted entirely off the land: fishing, and hunting for seals, walrus, whales and caribou.

By his early teens, his destiny was set: he would be an artist like his father (Kaka Ashoona), his grandmother (Pitseolak Ashoona) and others that had gone before him. Unlike many of his peers, Ohito never ceased to nourish his Arctic roots. He would soon become one of the best hunters in the community and a fully certified Outfitting Guide.

The love and respect for his culture, the environment and the arctic animals is very apparent in his work. All of his works are creative and his themes optimistic. Life, however, was not always wonderful in the Arctic -- it was a very cruel and harsh existence in one of the most inhospitable environments in the world. That he can portray things so beautifully speaks more about his nature and personality. We hope you will enjoy his works as much as we do.