[3] He experienced the longest career of any Cape Dorset artist,[4] and is a member of the Order of Canada and the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.

[5] Kiugak[4] was born to Inuk artist Pitseolak and her husband, Ashoona, in the community of Tariugajak on Baffin Island, Northwest Territories (now Nunavut), on September 16, 1933.

[7] In 1945, after the death of his father, Kiugak's mother relocated her family to the community of Cape Dorset, over 200 km (120 mi) away, to be closer to relatives.

[5] In 1951, Kiugak was introduced to James Houston, an artist from southern Canada who was sent to Cape Dorset to collect Inuit carvings for the Canadian Arts and Craft's Guild.

[14] From 1977 to 1981, Kiugak took an interest in acrylic painting, basing his style off Kingmeata Etidlooie, one of the first artists in Cape Dorset to take up this medium.

[4] Along with his many awards and honours, his sculpture Sedna was featured on a Canadian postal stamp in 1980 as part of a series celebrating Inuit culture.