The Skinning

Abstract

This painting is of a memory of hunting in warmer weather. You don’t have to wear a big parka; in this case I just wore a pair of overalls. After a while you get to know the process of taking apart any kind of animal. Especially when you’re from further north, the darker it gets the more you have to be able to harvest by starlight. You must be careful because if you cut your hand when it’s cold and dark you won’t feel it or see it. This painting illustrates removing the hide of the caribou, removing the head and putting it in the snow; the hunter is getting ready to make an incision all the way down the middle of the animal to get the ribs. More caribou can be seen in the upper right hand corner of the painting. We used to see a lot of caribou – it would be hours and hours until you saw the end of the herd – but not these days. The herds have dwindled quite a bit.