Of Inuit ancestry, Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley was born into the traditional 1950s culture of iglu building and dogsledding, later becoming a translator, writer, and activist. She is a scholar of world religions, and considered an authority on Inuit language, mythology, and pre-colonial religion. She has published several hundred articles, as well as many mythic retellings and works of original fiction. Her goal is to reveal, for all readers, the secret thought and sophistication behind Inuit cosmology. She has published for a wide range of ages, her work having been accessed as university course content. In 2012, she received a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Award for her written contributions to Canadian culture. Of mixed heritage, Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley enjoyed a multicultural background steeped in naturalism, before training as a writer in Toronto. After receiving an international award for a speculative fiction short ("Green Angel", 2005), he undertook the task of showcasing the unique flavour of pre-colonial Inuit imagery, combining speculative fiction elements with the world-setting of ancient Inuit thought.

He is fascinated by the deep structure and "magical histories" borne in mythical allegory. His fiction and non-fiction, some of which has been accessed as university content, addresses a general range of ages.