Atanarjuat was cast entirely with Inuit actors from Igloolik.
The cast were a mix of experienced and newly-initiated actors.
Natar Ungalaaq as Atanarjuat, and Paul and Mary Qulitalik as Qulitaliq
and Nuriuniq, for example, have previous credits in Claude Masson's
Kabloonak, CBC's Trial at Fortitude Bay and Turner Broadcasting's
Glory and Honor.
The sets for Atanarjuat were all authentic Inuit dwellings, made from
traditional natural materials such as ice blocks, animal skins, rocks, sod, and
snow. Igloos, for instance, were crafted from real snow blocks - not styrofoam
as in some Southern productions about life in the Arctic!
The wearer of this necklace is shaman and camp leader. It signifies
authority and supernatural power, commanding respect and obedience from the
rest of the camp's inhabitants.
In the film, this qamutik (sled) belongs to Atanarjuat. It is made of
caribou antlers and bone carefully laced together with sinew cord. Water is
drizzled on the runners until it freezes, then made slick with a scrap of fur
so that travel over the ice and tundra is swift and smooth.
Iggak (caribou goggles) are carved from the antlers of the animal. They were
worn to protect the eyes from the harsh glare of sunlight reflected on the ice
and snow in the Arctic.
The filmmakers assembled a group of talented local artisans to re-create the
props used in Atanarjuat.
They were led by head prop-maker and artistic director James Ungalaaq, an
internationally renowned Inuit sculptor from Igloolik whose work is in numerous
museum collections of Inuit art worldwide
