Table of Contents
Editors Note ....................................................................................................................................................................... 10
Introduction........................................................................................................................................................................ 11
Chapter One
How the World Came to Be and Other Creation Stories...................................................................25
The Struggle for Day and Night................................................................................................................................... 27
Origin of Death................................................................................................................................................................... 29
How Children were Formerly Obtained.................................................................................................................. 30
Thunder and Lightning................................................................................................................................................... 31
The Brother and Sister who Became Thunder and Lightning....................................................................... 33
Origin of the Sun and the Moon.................................................................................................................................. 35
The Mother of the Sea Mammals................................................................................................................................ 37
The Orphan Girl who Became the Mother of the Sea Mammals................................................................... 42
The Woman who Married the Dog ............................................................................................................................ 44
Origin of the Walrus and of the Caribou ................................................................................................................. 48
Origin of the Caribou....................................................................................................................................................... 50
Origin of the Narwhal...................................................................................................................................................... 51
How the Narwhal Came.................................................................................................................................................. 58
Origin of the Agdlaq......................................................................................................................................................... 62
The Hunters that Transformed into a Constellation.......................................................................................... 64
The Akla that Turned into Fog..................................................................................................................................... 65
Origin of Fog........................................................................................................................................................................ 67
Origin of the Red Phalarope and of the Web-footed Loon............................................................................... 71
The Ptarmigan.................................................................................................................................................................... 73
The Ptarmigan and the Snow Bunting..................................................................................................................... 74
The Ptarmigan and the Small Bird ............................................................................................................................ 75
The Wind .............................................................................................................................................................................. 76
The Loon and the Raven................................................................................................................................................. 77
Chapter Two
Mistreatment and Consequence ..............................................................................................................79
Qaudjaqdjuq........................................................................................................................................................................ 81
The Boy who Harpooned a Whale ............................................................................................................................. 86
The Artificial Skull that Frightened People to Death......................................................................................... 89
Papik....................................................................................................................................................................................... 91
Pautusorssuaq, who Murdered his Uncle............................................................................................................... 95
The Wife-changers ........................................................................................................................................................... 98
The Man who did not Observe Taboos .................................................................................................................... 100
The Emigration to the Land Beyond the Sea......................................................................................................... 102
Podluksak............................................................................................................................................................................. 106
Murdering a Stranger...................................................................................................................................................... 107
Tale of an Agdlaq............................................................................................................................................................... 110
The Emigration of Women............................................................................................................................................ 112
The Woman who Escaped to the Moon................................................................................................................... 114
Atanaarjuat.......................................................................................................................................................................... 121
Lice.......................................................................................................................................................................................... 128
Storm Caused by a Loon................................................................................................................................................. 129
Chapter Three
Journeys and Adventures ...........................................................................................................................131
Kiviuq..................................................................................................................................................................................... 133
Kiviuq..................................................................................................................................................................................... 140
Atungait................................................................................................................................................................................. 150
The Soul ................................................................................................................................................................................ 157
The Soul that Let itself Be Born Again in all the Animals of the Earth....................................................... 161
Chapter Four
Hardships and Famine ................................................................................................................................165
Ijimagasukdjukdjuaq....................................................................................................................................................... 167
Igimagajug, the Cannibal ............................................................................................................................................... 170
Karnapik, the Cannibal................................................................................................................................................... 174
Separated from Camp...................................................................................................................................................... 177
Kating Saved his Family in Time of Famine........................................................................................................... 179
Taboos and Starvation .................................................................................................................................................... 182
An Unsuccessful Whale Hunt....................................................................................................................................... 183
The Old Woman and her Grandchild........................................................................................................................ 186
The Woman who Could not Be Satiated.................................................................................................................. 189
Chapter Five
Animals in Human Form.............................................................................................................................193
The Woman who Heard Bears Speak ....................................................................................................................... 195
The Man who Took a Wife from Among the Wild Geese.................................................................................. 198
The Man who Took a Fox for a Wife.......................................................................................................................... 202
Ititaujang .............................................................................................................................................................................. 205
Dialogue between Two Ravens ................................................................................................................................... 210
The Man who Married the Fox .................................................................................................................................... 213
The Boy who Lived on Ravens..................................................................................................................................... 219
The Visitor............................................................................................................................................................................ 222
The Woman who Transformed herself into a Bear ............................................................................................ 226
The Woman who Became a Bear and Killed her Enemy.................................................................................. 229
The Fox .................................................................................................................................................................................. 233
The Woman who Became a Raven............................................................................................................................. 234
Story of Three Girls .......................................................................................................................................................... 236
The Fox and the Wolf....................................................................................................................................................... 240
The Bear Country.............................................................................................................................................................. 241
The Country of the Bears and Wolves...................................................................................................................... 243
The Muskox ......................................................................................................................................................................... 246
The Country of the Wolves............................................................................................................................................ 247
How Inuit Learned the Proper Taboos for when a Bear is Killed................................................................. 250
The Polar Bear and the Boy.......................................................................................................................................... 251
The Woman and her Bear Cub..................................................................................................................................... 255
Chapter Six
Animal Fables.................................................................................................................................................259
The Owl and the Lemming............................................................................................................................................ 261
The Owl and the Lemming............................................................................................................................................ 263
The Bear and the Caribou.............................................................................................................................................. 264
The Owl and the Raven................................................................................................................................................... 265
The Foxes.............................................................................................................................................................................. 266
The Fox and the Rabbit................................................................................................................................................... 268
The Owl and the Two Rabbits...................................................................................................................................... 269
The Owl that was Too Greedy...................................................................................................................................... 270
The Owl and the Bear...................................................................................................................................................... 272
The Race of the Worm and the Louse....................................................................................................................... 273
The Raven that was Anxious to be Married........................................................................................................... 274
Glossary................................................................................................................................................................................. 277
References............................................................................................................................................................................ 285
