Nuna. The land on which we walk and live our lives. It is rich with plant life, offering a variety of colours that are wholly unique to the Arctic. In the early 1970s, a group of arnait in Talurjuaq (Taloyoak), NU, led by textile artist Judy McGrath, travelled out on the nuna to gather lichens and arctic plants. They discovered through experimentation that they could create natural fabric dyes derived from the plants. The newly formed craft collective Arnaqarvik (“a place of women”) offered the group multiple creative outputs that not only included textiles and clothing but also resulted in the creation of a community photography darkroom.

As the story goes, McGrath arrived in Talurjuaq only to have her idea scoffed at. She was told, “You will never obtain dyes from this environment!” Through some initial experimentation with certain plants and techniques, the naysayers were proven wrong and a crafting enterprise was soon established within the community. A close friend to McGrath was Arnaoyok Alookee, who became one of Arnaqarvik’s most prominent makers. 

The colours produced were surprising and yielded a distinct colour palette. Pastel-blue hues and earthy browns—found, as an example, on a pair of mittens made by Kanayuk Aklak—were derived by boiling down a variety of lichen and flowers. Arctic poppies could produce a wonderful bright, nearly fluorescent yellow hue.