Ivigak Mug 12oz.

Ivigak - Inuit seagrass basketry was a slowly disappearing art but it is being revitalized and passed on to the next generations. I was told of my Great-Grandmother Dorothy Cove Pottle, and her mother Lucy Allen Cove, with most of our relatives hand-crafting Ivigak baskets & plates with seagrass. Generations of crafting in Kikiak (Rigolet) and up the North Coast of Nunatsiavut. My Great-Aunt Tilda Pottle Martin was also well well-known Ivigak grassworker and Kisik kamek "sealskin boot" maker. Her baskets were so well made she said in Them Days Vol. 28 -No.3 Spring 2004 interview with Doris Saunders in 1977  "When I make a basket, you can go and get water. It won't leak". Most of the Ivigak pieces are traded for supplies at the outpost. Gathering the Ivik "grass", drying to store, soaking, and weaving for days for each basket was a labor of love to provide for the Family.

The Ivigak basket this mug is based on took me many weeks of handcrafting with needle & seagrass, which was gifted to me from Labrador. Ivigak crafting was meditative, grounding, and nourishing on my reconnection journey that made me think a lot of my Inuit relatives.

The shape of the mug, color, and texture remind me of Ivigak baskets which are part of the inspiration for our new ceramics collection Baskets and Botanicals. This collection has lots of personal stories woven into it and is a way to share with you part of my journey and Culture.

We collaborated with local Artisan Ruby Bryan of RB Pottery, located in Sḵwx̱wú7mesh to bring the beautiful collection to life each with the elements of the nunak "land", its gifts, and teachings. We hope each handmade & hand-painted mug brings you cozy moments of warmth for your tea rituals.

Nakummesuak!

Isabelle