Abstract: Participants will excavate the layers of meaning and historical, material conditions as they critically reflect on two photographs and ponder: Why are Inuit women using and making tea/teapots and, why is this important? Photographs capture more than a moment in time. They reveal much about our personal, social, cultural and political worlds and worldviews.  However, these dimensions are not always immediately evident to the viewer. Using a critical reflection method, learners are positioned as active participants in constructing and analyzing the ideological and materialistic cultural, social, and historical tapestry underlying two seemingly benign photographs. The learner’s gaze is first drawn to a historical photograph of an Inuit woman serving tea, and then to a second, more contemporary, photograph of an artistic tea pot embellished with an ulu (Inuit woman’s knife) design. Most observers would readily, even, fondly, relate to these images. But learner interpretations and experiences are quickly challenged as they are guided with a series of questions to unearth the perspectives and conditions that create the complex narratives portrayed in the photographs. The relevance of these insights in the contemporary context are also considered.