Davidee Mannumi | The Canadian Encyclopedia

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Davidee Mannumi

Davidee Mannumi, also known as Manumi "B", sculptor, (b Cape Dorset region, SW Baffin Island 9 Sept 1919; d there 1979). Mannumi immigrated to Iqaluit [Frobisher Bay] in the Dew Line construction period of the mid-1950s but later returned to Cape Dorset.

One of the Arctic's outstanding early carvers, his sculptural work Mother and Child was presented to Queen Elizabeth II by the people of Canada on the occasion of the 1954 royal tour. The image of this sculpture was reproduced on the 1968 Canadian 6-cent stamp.

Along with his other talents, Mannumi is well known among Inuit as a graceful dancer, thus confirming a long-held Inuit belief that a talented human is the true art object. Such a person should be capable of performing many skills - carving, storytelling, singing and dancing - outward evidence of inulariak, a worthy human being.