Tookoome, Simon (1934 - Nov 2010)

Simon Tookoome was born in Chantrey Inlet in 1934. In his youth, Tookoome and other Utkusiksalingmiut lived along the Back River and in Gjoa Haven on King William Island. He moved to Baker Lake in the 1960s and in 1969 began to draw and carve stone. He was a founding member of the Baker Lake (Sanavik) Co-operative. He is also the author, with Sheldon Oberman, of the children's book "Shaman's Nephew: A Life in the Far North," which won the Norma Fleck Award for Canadian children's non-fiction in 2000. This autobiographical book deals with Tookoome's youthful experiences of the traditional Inuit way of life, including experiences with hunting and encountering non-Inuit culture for the first time.