NDP MP Lori Idlout speaks in the Foyer of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on May 8.Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press
The New Democrat MP representing the riding of Nunavut is concerned about imitations of Inuit art that are being sold in tourist shops and says a legislative response is something the government should consider.
Lori Idlout, who is Inuk, said imitations of Inuit art amount to appropriation and damage opportunities for Inuit artists.
The issue has garnered the attention of current and former politicians who want the federal government to take action in response to the problem, including considering legislation similar to a law in the United States.
The U.S. act makes it illegal to display for sale, or sell, any product that “falsely suggests” it is produced by an Indigenous person.
Imitations of stone formations known as the inukshuk have become “so appropriated,” Ms. Idlout, her party’s critic for Indigenous services, said in an interview, adding that when she is in the south of Canada, she has noticed pieces that have been made in China.
“That very much takes away from opportunities for Inuit artists to sell authentic Inuit art,” she said.
Ms. Idlout said legislation to outlaw the faking of Indigenous art is an “interesting idea” and amounts to “something that’s worth exploring.” She said the problem with imitations of inuksuit worsened during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, which used a representation of an inukshuk as its logo.
This concern has also been echoed by Alysa Procida, the executive director of the Inuit Art Foundation. Ms. Procida recently told The Globe and Mail that the sale of imitation pieces has long been a problem, but it is now very pervasive and it is believed to have picked up as a result of the Games.
Natan Obed, president of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) – a national body that advocates for Inuit priorities – told The Globe that retailers profit off the sale of inauthentic pieces in tourist shops and make money “off of our likenesses, our art, our people, our cultural practices.”
“Thousands and thousands of people have gone back to their countries and displayed fraudulent pieces of Indigenous art from this country, and told their friends and families about Indigenous peoples of Canada through these mechanisms that are fraudulent, that originated out of China,” he said. “And Canada is a willing accomplice to it.”
Former senator Patricia Bovey, an art historian from Manitoba, said in an interview that the issue of inauthentic Inuit art is much bigger than many realize, and it undermines artists and the cultural identities of communities. That’s a really serious problem, she said.
According to ITK, about 70,000 Inuit live in Canada, often inhabiting small communities that have limited economic opportunities. Income from making and selling Inuit sculptures and prints has allowed them to live a traditional lifestyle and stay in their home communities.
As an example of how prevalent the issue of inauthentic Inuit art is, Mr. Obed told The Globe about a discovery that he made during a visit to the Anima Mundi, an ethnological museum within the Vatican, during a 2022 delegation sent to meet with the Pope to talk about the Catholic Church’s responsibility for the trauma caused by residential schools.
While looking at a piece that was said to have been gifted to the Pope in the 1980s, Mr. Obed identified it as a “plastic piece from China,” and he informed the curator. The Holy See press office did not respond to multiple e-mails seeking comment.
Mr. Obed wants the federal government to consider a legislative response to combat inauthentic Indigenous art in Canada. He said it is time for government to “get serious about protecting the Indigenous art market and Indigenous artists.”
Ms. Procida said the U.S. Indian Arts and Crafts Act can result in fines for individuals mispresenting art as being made by Indigenous people and legislation affords a greater degree of protection for artists. She has stressed that if legislation were implemented in Canada, it would be important to ensure that Inuit, First Nations and Métis governments take the lead.
The U.S. law was recently used to sentence a man, Cristobal Rodrigo, now serving a two-year sentence in an Oregon prison. It is the longest sentence issued for any violation of the Act. Mr. Rodrigo sold products made in the Philippines as authentic Indigenous work produced in Alaska.
When asked recently to respond to concerns about imitations of Inuit art here, Canadian Heritage spokesperson Amy Mills wrote that since 2018, the government has spoken with Indigenous artists and experts to better understand the impacts associated with misuse and misappropriation. Heritage has begun studying measures in other jurisdictions, including the U.S., she added.