20 Dollars - Elizabeth II Inuit Nunangat, Canada

Designed by Nunatsiavut artist Jason Sikoak, your coins reverse highlights a widely known legend from Inuit Nunangat ( ), the homeland of Inuit in Canada. It is the story of the Sea Goddess, also known as Nuliajuk; tossed into the ocean, the long-haired Inuk becomes half-woman and half-fish as she slips deeper beneath the waves, while her fingers take the form of seals that represent all marine mammals. The Sea Goddess is an important figure in Inuit mythology and Angakkuuniq (shamanism). She is an ambivalent force that may provide or take away all the necessities of life. She was so feared, Inuit dared not say her name out loud. Now she is coming back in art, oral histories and scholarship, and she continues to show us the creativity and resilience of Inuit culture. Sharon Angnakak, Archivist, Nunavut Department of Culture and Heritage, Heritage DivisionThe Legend of the Sea Goddess*Nuliajuk was a beautiful girl who had refused many offers of marriage. One day, a young hunter arrived at her fathers camp; dressed in warm furs, he spoke in a soft voice and promised to provide Nuliajuk with a good home and animals for food and clothing. He kept his face hidden under his hood but Nuliajuk was sufficiently impressed with him, and she agreed to marry him. When she arrived at her new home on a remote island, Nuliajuk discovered that her husband was not a man but a bird. Cold and hungry, she cried out for her father to come save her. But as she and her father paddled away, they were caught in a strong wind created by the birds furious wingbeats. Fearing for his life, Nuliajuks father threw her over the side of the umiak. She tried to save herself by holding on, but her father cut off her fingers and she fell into the water. As she sank to the bottom of the ocean, her fingers and hands took the form of different marine mammals and she became the Sea Goddess. Hunters came to depend on her goodwill: when humans transgress the laws of nature, the Sea Goddess keeps her children (the sea animals) away, and the Angakkuq (shaman) must appease her by combing her hair. *This is just one version of the legend, which may differ from region to region.

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Jason Sikoak

Head of Queen Elizabeth II, as at 77 years of age, bare headed, wearing necklace and earrings, facing right.

Susan Taylor

Susanna Blunt

Serrated