Pitseolak

Pitseolak is an Inuit female first name, a variant of Pittiulaaq.

Etymology

The name derives from the Inuktitut root meaning "black guillemot," a seabird of the species Cepphus grylle, also known as a "sea pigeon." The variant Pitsiulaaq shares this origin.

Notable Bearer

The name is most famously borne by Pitseolak Ashoona (c. 1904 – May 28, 1983), a renowned Canadian Inuk artist who was a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. Born on Nottingham Island in what is now Nunavut, she lived a traditional Inuit life and later raised her children after her husband's death, using art to support her family. Her drawings and prints often depicted Inuit traditional life and mythology. Although her name is often translated as "sea pigeon" in Inuktitut, this is a loose reference to the black guillemot.