David Howe Turner, 2018, Eyes of the Shaman: The Visions of Piona Keyuakjuk. Oakville: Rock’s Mills Press, 176 pages.

From the point of view of a non-Inuit author, Professor Emeritus David Howe Turner (Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto), in Eyes of the Shaman: The Visions of Piona Keyuakjuk (2018), pays tribute to Uqqurmiut (“People of the leeside” in Inuktitut) culture and details some elements of angakkuuniq. Through (re)reading this book, anthropologists, academic peers, and the next bibliophile will notice a unique opportunity to tackle the complex issues of addressing sacred representations and Inuit spiritual practices (angakkuuniq and Christian tradition). Readers will also gain further insights into present intra- and inter-cultural social dynamics within the scope of intertwined relationships between human and non-human beings (e.g., animals, tuurngait (helping spirits), nuna (land)). This book also provides a glimpse of Inuit art and handicrafts to help broaden awareness and understanding regarding Inuit artists and northern realities. In this regard, Turner’s Eyes of the Shaman: The Visions of Piona Keyuakjuk thus represents an admirable attempt to express the lifestyle and art-based practices of Inuit carvers without succumbing to the clichés—the very delineation of this social-cultural context of lifestyle practices would require a close analysis of its own. Within the distinct perspective of religious studies and cultural anthropology, the author offers a fresh look at a living tradition by introducing Piona Keyuakjuk (also spelled Piona Qijuarjuk or Peona Keyouakjuk) and his neighbours’ experiences with and knowledge on angakkuuniq through their carvings and drawings. Thus Turner, who fielded the awakening of Western (scientific) knowledge about contemporary angakkuuniq and tuurngait (i.e., alongside Oosten 1986; Aupilaarjuk, Aupilaarjuk, and Saladin d’Anglure 2001; Saladin d’Anglure 2018; Laugrand and Oosten 2010 [2012]), challenges our understanding of Inuit converted to Christianity. It all started in 2005 with an invitation to join Professors Christopher Trott and Peter Kulchyski (Department of Native Studies) as well as a few students from the University of Manitoba at their summer school in Pangnirtung (or Pangnirtuuq; also, Panniqtuq), Nunavut. Prior to his arrival, Turner began his research, for example by “[…] browsing through the Inuit art shops of Toronto looking for works by Pangnirtung artists” (Turner 2018, xxv). Under the initiative, he was introduced to Piona Keyuakjuk’s artwork— “[…] that immediately attracted [his] attention” (ibid., xxv). It happened again on his first day in Pangnirtung when he dropped by the Uqqurmiut Centre for Arts and Crafts. This prompted Turner to ask where he could find the artist, and in a matter of hours, he introduced himself to Keyuakjuk. The outcome of this meeting was stupendous because of Piona Keyuakjuk’s willingness to generously share his time and cultural knowledge on a wide range of Inuit subjects, such as mythology, traditions, and behaviours. Interest thus quickly arose in both parties to pursue their dialogue within a framework of Arts and Inuit History. This encounter, the first of many, set the scene for a social bonding through shared experiences (such as family matters) and grounded their blossoming relationship into a lasting friendship. The experiences of their get-togethers are the core of the book’s structure, and each section of it reflects the various discussions they enjoyed over the years (2005 to 2009). Turner’s desire to understand Piona Keyuakjuk’s character, particularly his propension of “[…] having shamanic-like abilities” (Turner 2018, 45), led to a few informal meetings with Uqqurmiut in Pangnirtung. Inuit speak from experience (of every kind, whether corporeal or incorporeal, tangible or intangible) as well as on current circumstances. Many have often observed and engaged in a type of ritualistic behaviour, though they tend to avoid angakkuuniq-related questions. As Darren McCarthy, one of Keyuakjuk’s neighbours, said, “People believe that if you talk about angakkuq or mention …