Kivalliq Region:
The Kivalliq region is on the west side of Hudson’s Bay and encompasses Qamani’tuaq (Baker Lake), Arviat and Rankin Inlet all of which developed strong artist communities. The distinct regional style, very different from the Baffin Region, is immediately apparent. The local stone is basalt, a dark hard stone which is both difficult to carve and impossible to polish. The artists in these areas therefore developed a minimal style, defining form more by outline and silhouette rather than fine detail. Artists in coastal settlements who had little local stone, such as Coral Harbour, worked with ivory, antler and whalebone.