Eye of the Shaman: Visions of Piona Keyuakjuk by David Turner (review)

THIS NONFICTION BOOK describes the compelling relationship between a university professor, David Turner, and an Inuit artist, Piona Keyuakjuk. Piona grew up in Pangnirtung, Nunavut, and currently lives in his community, making a living from the sale of his art to tourists and art galleries. A fascinating relationship grows between Professor Turner, who returns several times to the community, and the artist, who tells stories about Inuit shamanism through sculpture and later his pencil crayon drawings. The book is 175 pages; the last 105 pages are dedicated to reprinting Piona’s sketchbook in full color. Many of the drawings show a shaman’s ability to transform, taking on features of animals and drawing on them as helpers, for example, humans riding on the backs of birds or calling various helping animals such as ravens, owls, polar bears, and wolves. Turner’s purpose for writing the book is to revitalize lost knowledge about shamanism in the Arctic. In doing so, he supports Piona’s act of Inuit shaman revival by including his drawings.

Shamans have the ability to negotiate between the animal and human worlds by mediating conflicts and mending relationships. Often shamans have powerful animals that help them in this process, as depicted by the many photographs of the artist’s drawings and sculptures represented in the book. Turner notes that a person is born with shamanistic powers, which are revealed as the person ages through “unusual circumstances or behaviour such as those involving spirit-travel, being contacted by a spirit guide or surviving a near-death experience” (xxiv). Piona fits this description by having “escaped a polar bear” encounter with the aid of his spirit helper (xxiv).

Missionaries coerced shamans to convert to Christianity “with gifts and threats” (xx) during a short period from the end of the Second World War to the early 1950s (xiii), nearly eliminating this important facet of Inuit culture. This left communities skeptical and suspicious of their own culture while enforcing colonial subordination to Christianity through acts of oppression. Turner suggests shamanism went underground to avoid being criticized by the community; it is clear that the knowledge survived despite oppression and discouragement by missionaries and non-Indigenous settlers.

Despite the fact that Turner gives credit to the artist, it is puzzling why this book is not coauthored by the artist. Credit is given to the artist in small print underneath the copyrights of the book. Turner also acknowledges that permission was given by the artist to publish his works, and gratitude is given to the artist in the book’s dedication. Yet the overall language used suggests the presence of a colonial lens that highlights the power imbalance of the relationship. For example, the first four chapters are titled “Encounter 1–4,” suggesting colonial language of defeat or submission. While Turner does a good job researching and communicating his topic, his background in religious studies should be noted by the reader as having a tradition of centering Christian values. The author writes from a position of privilege as a white male and a professor at an acclaimed university. Piona benefits from the relationship with Turner by sharing his knowledge as an artist, as well as in obtaining tools to ease his work in an area where resources can be limited. One lingering question never answered by the author is whether the artist’s life has been enhanced by the sharing of his knowledge following this book’s publication. Since a majority of Inuit have adopted Christian values, they have relinquished their old ways, suggesting that a shaman’s ability is no longer needed. Shamans were once highly respected in their communities for their abilities to heal people and locate scarce sources of food. Since the Inuit have been pressured into adopting a lifestyle that is much more sedentary by eliminating the use of sled dogs by the RCMP (xx), along with the adoption of Christian values, tension has been created around the practice of shamanism. Turner notes that the...