Shamanism and Reintegrating Wrongdoers Into the Community
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7313 eng COVER final 5/16/06 7:14 AM Page 1 INUITInuit PERSPECTIVES Qaujimajatuqangit: ON THE 20TH CENTURY Shamanism and Reintegrating Wrongdoers into the Community Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit: Shamanism and Rehabilitating Wrongdoers INUIT PERSPECTIVES ON THE 20TH CENTURY 4 Mariano Aupilaarjuk, Peter Suvaksiuq, Felix Pisuk, Pujuat Tapaqti, Levi Iluittuq, Luke Nuliajuk, Ollie Itinnuaq, Jose Angutinngurniq Edited by Jarich Oosten & Frédéric Laugrand 6507.5_Fre 5/1/06 9:11 AM Page 239 7313 rehablitating_ENG 5/16/06 7:18 AM Page 1 INUIT PERSPECTIVES ON THE 20TH CENTURY Volume 4 Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit: Shamanism and Reintegrating Wrongdoers into the Community Mariano Aupilaarjuk, Peter Suvaksiuq, Felix Pisuk, Pujuat Tapaqti, Levi Iluittuq, Luke Nuliajuk, Ollie Itinnuaq, Jose Angutinngurniq Edited by Jarich Oosten & Frédéric Laugrand 7313 rehablitating_ENG 5/16/06 7:18 AM Page 2 Inuit Perspectives on the 20th Century Volume 4 Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit: Shamanism and Reintegrating Wrongdoers into the Community Copyright © 2002 Nunavut Arctic College, and Mariano Aupilaarjuk, Peter Suvaksiuq, Felix Pisuk, Pujuat Tapaqti, Levi Iluittuq, Luke Nuliajuk, Ollie Itinnuaq, Jose Angutinngurniq, Jarich Oosten, Frédéric Laugrand, Henry Kablaalik and Alexina Kublu. Cover illustration/photo by Nick Newbery. Photos by Frédéric Laugrand. Design and production by Nortext (Iqaluit). All rights reserved. The use of any part of this publication, reproduced, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, or stored in a retrieval system, without written consent of the publisher is an infringement of the copyright law. ISBN 1-896204-56-2 Published by the Language and Culture Program of Nunavut Arctic College, Iqaluit, Nunavut X0A 0H0. For order information: Nunavut Arctic College Library Box 600 Iqaluit, Nunavut X0A 0H0 7313 rehablitating_ENG 5/16/06 7:18 AM Page i Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii MAP iv INTRODUCTION 1 Chapter 1 “Different People, Different Traditions:” Presentation of the Elders 23 Luke Nuliajuk 23 Felix Pisuk 26 Levi Iluittuq 30 Pujuat Tapaqti 38 Ollie Itinnuaq 41 Peter Suvaksiuq 52 Mariano Aupilaarjuk 54 Jose Angutinngurniq 61 Chapter 2 The Value of Angakkuuniq: Recollections of the Past 69 Shamanic initiation 69 Qaumaniq 79 Earth eggs 96 Healing 100 Procuring game 108 Dreams 116 Aarnguat 122 7313 rehablitating_ENG 5/16/06 7:18 AM Page ii Chapter 3 Passing On Shamanic Knowledge: A Selective Process 125 Keeping shamanic knowledge alive 125 Ilisiiqsirniq 127 Meeting with spirits and non-human beings 130 Practising qilaniq 136 Passing down irinaliutit 142 Shamanic words 148 The songs of the angakkuit 156 Remembering the abilities of angakkuit 159 Chapter 4 Dealing with Social Conflicts: The Inuit Way 173 Tirigusungniq 173 Naqqiqsurniq 178 Murder and counselling 183 Using Inuit traditions to solve contemporary problems 188 GLOSSARY 211 REFERENCES 225 7313 rehablitating_ENG 5/16/06 7:18 AM Page iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS n 2000, Susan Sammons from the Language and Culture Program at Nunavut Arctic College invited us to a meeting at her house with Alexina Kublu and Henry IKablaalik, to discuss the feasibility of a project on angakkuuniq and rehabilitating wrongdoers in Kangiq&iniq [Rankin Inlet]. When the idea was enthusiastically received by all participants, she took the initiative to submit a research proposal for funding and took care of its financial management and logistics. Without her, this project would never have been feasible. Alexina Kublu consented to be the interpreter and translator for the project. Her great skill and experience were of great value to the project’s success. She not only provided an excellent translation of the various dialects of the elders, but also crucial advice in the exploration of the touchy and sometimes even controversial subject of angakkuuniq. She also prepared the glossary for this book. Papatsi Kublu-Hill, took care of the transcription of the text. Henry Kablaalik was responsible for the co-ordination and practical logistics of the project. He approached the elders, arranged their travelling and lodging, and took care of the provisions. He also contributed actively to the discussions in the workshop. Ollie Itinnuaq and his wife Lizzy Itinnuaq hosted the workshop. Ollie renovated his cabin and spent much time and energy on the project. Lizzy took care of the cooking and our day-to-day needs during the workshop. The eight elders participating in the project were Ollie Itninuar [Itinnuaq], Felix Pissuk [Pisuk], Mariano Aupilarjuk [Aupilaarjuk] and Maryanne Pujuat Taparti [Tapaqti] from Kangiq&iniq, Peter Suwaksiork [Suvaksiuq] from Arviat, Luke Nuliajuk [Nuliajuk] from Uqsuqtuuq and Jose Angotigogniq [Angutinngurniq] and Levi Illuitok [Iluittuq] from Kuugaarruk. All spoke openly and freely about their experiences. They shared a strong commitment to convey the knowledge of the past to young Inuit and to use traditional wisdom to solve modern problems. The Federal Department of Justice provided the funding for the workshop. We wish particularly to thank Scott Clarke, Mireille Provost and Chantal Marion from Justice Canada for their interest in and support of this project. It was a great experience for all who participated and we trust that it will contribute to the transfer and use of Inuit knowledge in solving the social problems facing modern Inuit society. Jarich Oosten and Frédéric Laugrand iii 26 25 24 23 22 20 7313 rehablitating_ENG5/16/067:18AMPageiv 19 21 18 17 16 12 15 13 11 9 10 8 14 6 7 1 2 5 4 3 7313 rehablitating_ENG5/16/067:18AMPagev 1 nirlx6 Sanikiluaq Sanikiluaq 14 u5tmbo4 Pond Inlet Mittimatalik 2 r7uD5 Kimmirut Kimmirut 15 NiyF4 Nanisivik Nanisivik 3 wclw5 Iqaluit Iqaluit 16 w[loÛ3J4 Chesterfield Inlet Igluligaarjuk 4 X8i6©6 Pangnirtung Panniqtuuq 17 vq6Oi6 Rankin Inlet Kangiq&iniq 5 er6b3Jx6 Qikiqtarjuaq Qikiqtarjuaq 18 trC3Jx6 Whale Cove Tikirarjuaq 6 r`Zw5 Cape Dorset Kinngait 19 x3Fx5 Arviat Arviat 7 vq6gÛW4 Clyde River Kangiqtugaapik 20 cmi5gx6 Baker Lake Qamanittuaq 8 n9o6 Coral Harbour Salliq 21 bl3Jx6 Taloyoak Talurjuaq 9 niC/4 Hall Beach Sanirajak 22 s6h6©6 Gjoa Haven Uqsuqtuuq 10 w[lo4 Igloolik Iglulik 23 wcl4©4tx6 Cambridge Bay Iqaluktuuttiaq 11 Ns÷5 Repulse Bay Naujaat 24 su1m4©6 Bay Chimo Umingmaktuuq 12 fZ3J4 Pelly Bay/Arviligjuaq Kuugaarruk 25 ezs4 Bathurst Inlet Kingauk 13 gkiDy6 Arctic Bay Tununirusiq 26 d3l6g6 Kugluktuk Qurluqtuq 7313 rehablitating_ENG 5/16/06 7:18 AM Page vi 7313 rehablitating_ENG 5/16/06 7:18 AM Page 1 Introduction Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit1 “Qallunaat must have more understanding that there is a different way of acting. For us, justice was governed by elders and that was it. It is a relationship based on trust.” Francis Piugattuq (In Livingstone 1993: 17) Inuit and qallunaat nuit and qallunaat have been in contact since Martin Frobisher explored the Arctic seas at the end of the sixteenth century. Explorers and missionaries assumed that Icontacts with Europeans and Americans would lead to the disappearance of Inuit and their culture. Thus the Moravian Brother Mathias Warmow (1858: 88 f.) wrote in 1858: I am always sorry to see the Esquimaux wearing European clothes, and, in short, imitating the Europeans in all respects. They were undoubtedly better off in their original state and more likely to be gained for the kingdom of God. But when they begin to copy our mode of life, they are neither properly Europeans nor Esquimaux, and will speedily die out, in consequence of the change. These predictions never materialized. Inuit integrated Western religion and technology, adapted to the Western market economy, and successfully managed to preserve their identity. Inuit have amply proved that they are perfectly capable of dealing with Western discourses while retaining and preserving their own cultural traditions. Today, the value placed on the past is changing and Inuit are claiming respect for their own cultural institutions, not only from Inuit, but also from qallunaat. Inuit emphasize that cultural institutions that were imported from the south can only function satisfactorily if their relations to Inuit institutions, customs and traditions are taken into account. The Canadian law system was introduced from the south at the beginning of the 20th century, especially with the assertion of Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic and the Northwest regions2. Even before the 1920s, Canadian law intervened in occasions of famous murder cases such as the killings of Rouvière and Le Roux in the Western Arctic, and Robert Janes in the East. Although Canadian law is now a generally accepted Introduction – Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit 1 7313 rehablitating_ENG 5/16/06 7:18 AM Page 2 institution in the North, Inuit still perceive it as a qallunaat institution. Images of Justice by Dorothy Eber (1997) aptly illustrates the problems of applying Western principles of law to Inuit culture, in her description of a few famous cases in the fifties and sixties. Inuit qaujimajatuqangit Nowadays, Inuit elders feel that their own perceptions of law deserve more attention. Emile Imaruittuq from Iglulik stated, “We should have used traditional practices when dealing with crimes.” (In Oosten, Laugrand and Rasing 1999: 7) Mariano Aupilaarjuk from Kangiq&iniq acknowledged the usefulness of Inuit traditions of the past. “When I think about this, I wonder how we can solve the problem. I would like to look at the Inuit maligait that we had in the past and compare them with the laws we have today, so we could develop better laws for the future” (In Oosten, Laugrand & Rasing 1999: 13). Among the younger generation, the same feeling is present. Francis Piugattuq from Iglulik, for example, organized cross-cultural workshops for legal professionals in the Eastern Arctic, relying heavily on the input from Baffin elders. Susan Enuaraq from Iqaluit, a member of the Akitsiraq Law School Society, stated that although the creation of a southern law degree program was exciting, she still believed that were she to become a lawyer, she could offer an understanding of Inuit culture and society that a southerner could not (McKibbon 2000).