Notes
This stone lamp, or qulliq, was an essential part of the Inuit household. In this particular lamp, there is a raised ledge in the middle that would allow a wick or a larger concentration of seal blubber to be held. Tending the qulliq was often the job of the women of the household and was considered a sacred artform. Cubes of blubber would be placed in the indented surface of the qulliq and then pounded with a blubber pounder, which would press out the oil that would be the fuel for the fire. The wick would have been created out of moss or cotton grass, would be soaked in the oil and arranged in a line along the rim of the lamp (or the raised ridge in the middle, like on this particular lamp). Once lit, the lamp would require near constant attention to make sure the flame would stay lit or that the lamp would not produce too much smoke.
