Kayla Williams: “Goddess of the Sea”

We are proud to present “Goddess of the Sea”, a mural by artist Kayla Williams.

“This piece is my tribute to Sedna, the Inuit goddess of the sea. In my culture the goddess Sedna is a vengeful ruler of the marine wildlife and determines a hunter’s success when out on the ice or sea. Sedna was a young Inuk woman whose father’s failed attempts to marry her off to local men resulted in her marrying a dog instead. This greatly angered her father who took her out to sea in his kajak. He pushed her into the sea, so she grabbed onto his boat and tried to pull herself back in. He then cut off her fingers and she fell to the bottom of the ocean and drowned. Her cut off fingers turned into the first seals. She became a goddess then and now controls the ocean animals. Hunters must pray to her to release the wildlife to them if she is happy.”

This mural is presented in collaboration with First Light’s Spirit Song Festival, taking place November 20-26, and will be featured on NTV’s “Home, It’s Where the Art Is”.

Kayla is a mixed settler/Inuk self-taught artist whose family comes from Makkovik and Rigolet, Nunatsiavut (Northern Labrador). She is a granddaughter of residential school survivors and master crafters who taught her to pursue her art and appreciate the land and cultural traditions. After overcoming many obstacles like addiction, domestic abuse and homelessness, Kayla has dedicated her life to her two children and now runs her own small business in Happy Valley Goose Bay, where she paints murals and on canvas for clients all over Canada and beyond. She is inspired by her home in Labrador, the beautiful landscapes and wildlife that surrounds her as well as learning about her culture and language.