The sets for Atanarjuat were all authentic Inuit dwellings, made from
traditional natural materials such as ice blocks, animal skins, rocks, sod, and
snow. Igloos, for instance, were crafted from real snow blocks - not styrofoam
as in some Southern productions about life in the Arctic!
The wearer of this necklace is shaman and camp leader. It signifies
authority and supernatural power, commanding respect and obedience from the
rest of the camp's inhabitants.
In the film, this qamutik (sled) belongs to Atanarjuat. It is made of
caribou antlers and bone carefully laced together with sinew cord. Water is
drizzled on the runners until it freezes, then made slick with a scrap of fur
so that travel over the ice and tundra is swift and smooth.
Iggak (caribou goggles) are carved from the antlers of the animal. They were
worn to protect the eyes from the harsh glare of sunlight reflected on the ice
and snow in the Arctic.
The filmmakers assembled a group of talented local artisans to re-create the
props used in Atanarjuat.
They were led by head prop-maker and artistic director James Ungalaaq, an
internationally renowned Inuit sculptor from Igloolik whose work is in numerous
museum collections of Inuit art worldwide
Made of warm wolf fur, this parka was worn by Atanarjuat on his return to
Igloolik after a long period of exile and soul-searching at the camp of
Qulitalik.
This parka is worn by the original camp leader and shaman Kumaglak. His
murder in the presence of the Evil Shaman, Tungajuaq, sparks the bloody feud
between Atanarjuat and Oki's families. The raven feathers sewn on the skin of
the parka indicate that the man wearing it is a shaman.
This winter nasaq (hood) was worn by Oki in the film. Made of wolf fur, the
hood has long tentacle-like strips encircling the neck, the effect of which is
to make Oki look fiercer and meaner.
This unusual parka is made of King Eider duck skin and covered in feathers.
It was worn by Atanarjuat's arch-rival, Oki, during the attack on Atanarjuat's
camp and subsequent chase across the sea ice. The parka floats in water!