In a profoundly moving encounter at the National Gallery of Canada, two brothers were reunited with the artistic legacy of their mother, more than a decade after her death. Noah and Tytsoosie “Ty” Tunnillie visited the Ottawa institution to see a collection of serpentinite and marble carvings created by their late mother, the acclaimed Inuit artist Oviloo Tunnillie.
A Long-Awaited Reunion
The brothers walked around a large table in a gallery meeting room, carefully examining the half-dozen sculptures laid out for their visit. Before their arrival, both men admitted to feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness, unsure of how they would react to seeing their mother's work in such a formal setting. Surrounded by about ten onlookers, they studied the pieces intently, at times holding them and speaking to each other in Inuktitut.
The carvings, which included a piece titled Seaman, Seawoman, and Fish depicting the sea goddess Sedna, were more than just art. For Noah and Ty, they were tangible pieces of their mother's life. Oviloo Tunnillie, a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, once stated, “Some people write about their lives, but I carve about my life. That is the way I want to be known.” In that sense, the brothers were holding the weight of her experiences in their hands.
A Flood of Memories and Emotions
The visit was marked by a powerful range of emotions. The brothers occasionally smiled and laughed, but at other times, they were on the verge of tears. Noah later confessed that if others hadn't been present, he would have cried. The experience was not merely a viewing; it was a homecoming and a form of catharsis.
While they had seen three of the six pieces before, including a white marble work titled Taleelayu that they helped her finish as teenagers over three decades ago, the other three were entirely new to them. Handling the art sparked vivid memories. They recalled how the money from her art sales paid for ammunition and gas for their father, Iola Tunnillie, a municipal worker in Kinngait, Nunavut (formerly Cape Dorset), to go hunting. Noah also remembered acting as an interpreter when art dealers came to view his mother's work.
A Path to Healing
For years after his mother's death from cancer in 2014, Noah could not bring himself to look at her art. “I’ve been grieving,” he explained. Their own paths to this moment had been difficult; both brothers moved to Ottawa in 2006 and have experienced periods of homelessness since approximately 2009. Noah has recently found stable housing at the Richcraft Hope Centre.
Seeing the carvings again has been a transformative experience. Ty described feeling “very light,” noting he hadn't seen her work in a long time. For Noah, the encounter was “a soup of emotions.” He shared, “It made me hungry — hungry for a good life, the way she raised me to be. It was healing.” Their mother's art, along with works by other family members including their uncle Jutai Toonoo, grandmother Mary Qayuaryou, and great-grandmother Ikayukta Tunnillie, now has a permanent and protected home at the national gallery, ensuring that Oviloo Tunnillie's legacy will endure for generations.
