6507.3 Eng Cover w/spine/bleed 5/1/06 9:23 AM Page 1 INTERVIEWINGCosmology INUIT ELDERS and Shamanism Cosmology and Shamanism INTERVIEWING INUIT ELDERS Mariano and Tulimaaq Aupilaarjuk, Lucassie Nutaraaluk, Rose Iqallijuq, Johanasi Ujarak, Isidore Ijituuq and Michel Kupaaq 4 Edited by Bernard Saladin d’Anglure 6507.5_Fre 5/1/06 9:11 AM Page 239 6507.3 English Vol.4 5/1/06 9:21 AM Page 1 INTERVIEWING INUIT ELDERS Volume 4 Cosmology and Shamanism Mariano and Tulimaaq Aupilaarjuk, Lucassie Nutaraaluk, Rose Iqallijuq, Johanasi Ujarak, Isidore Ijituuq and Michel Kupaaq Edited by Bernard Saladin d’Anglure 6507.3 English Vol.4 5/1/06 9:21 AM Page 2 Interviewing Inuit Elders Volume 4 Cosmology and Shamanism Copyright © 2001 Nunavut Arctic College, Mariano and Tulimaaq Aupilaarjuk, Bernard Saladin d’Anglure and participating students Susan Enuaraq, Aaju Peter, Bernice Kootoo, Nancy Kisa, Julia Saimayuq, Jeannie Shaimayuk, Mathieu Boki, Kim Kangok, Vera Arnatsiaq, Myna Ishulutak, and Johnny Kopak. Photos courtesy Bernard Saladin d’Anglure; Frédéric Laugrand; Alexina Kublu; Mystic Seaport Museum. Louise Ujarak; John MacDonald; Bryan Alexander. Illustrations courtesy Terry Ryan in Blodgett, ed. “North Baffin Drawings,” Art Gallery of Ontario; 1923 photo of Urulu, Fifth Thule Expedition. Cover illustration “Man and Animals” by Lydia Jaypoody. 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 1-896-204-384 Published by the Language and Culture Program of Nunavut Arctic College, Iqaluit, Nunavut with the generous support of the Pairijait Tigummivik Elders Society. For order information: Nunavut Arctic College Library Box 600 Iqaluit, Nunavut X0A 0H0 6507.3 English Vol.4 5/1/06 9:21 AM Page i Table of Contents DEDICATION iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iv MAP v INTRODUCTION TO COSMOLOGY AND SHAMANISM 1 PART ONE: IQALUIT 1998 5 Introduction 7 Chapter 1: Shamanism and the Life Cycle: Names, Souls and Spirits 9 Introduction 9 About the word angakkuq 10 Naming, the soul, and shamanism 11 Substituting personal names from aqausiit 16 The soul as a tiny bubble 19 Women and shamanism 20 People affected by the evil actions of a deceased angakkuq 25 Coming back to life 29 Chapter 2: Angakkuuniq: The Powers of the Angakkuq 33 Introduction 33 The acquisition of the angakkuq’s power 34 Qaumaniq, aura and light 36 Sakaniq, consulting the tuurngait, the helping spirits 40 Irinaliutit, incantations; and qinngarniq, shouted prayer 48 Ilisiiqsiniq, hexing 49 Chapter 3: Encounters with Inurajait: Human-like Beings 51 Introduction 51 Encounters with inurajait 52 Encounters with unusual animals 66 Sexual intercourse with inurajait, human-like spirits, and inuruqsimajuit, animals in human form 68 6507.3 English Vol.4 5/1/06 9:21 AM Page ii Chapter 4: Shamanic Performances and Rituals: Qilaniq, Sakaniq, Ilimmaqturniq, Pavunngaarniq, Nakkaaniq, Nalliunniq and Tupilanniq 73 Introduction 73 Qilaniq, predictions made through an apiqsaq, a spiritual helper 74 Sakaniq or tuurnginiq, the ritual of consulting a tuurngaq, for inuulitsiniq, healing, or to escape hunger and misfortune 78 Ilimmaqtuqtuq or qangatajuq, the aerial journeys of the angakkuit 84 Pavunngaaqtuq, the shaman’s journey to the upper world 86 Nakkaajuq or atqaqtuq, the shaman’s journey to the underworld 88 Nalliunniq, celebrations; and pijariurniq, rituals connected with spiritual events or with individual first catches 89 Tupilanniq, the killing of evil spirits by the angakkuit 93 PART TWO: IGLULIK 1971-1972 97 Introduction 99 Chapter 5: The Healing of Nanuraq, a Sick Woman, by Angutimmarik, in Salliq 103 Introduction 103 The Healing of Nanuraq 107 Chapter 6: Qilaniq, Irinaliutit, Qinngarniq and Aarnguat 131 Introduction 131 Qilaniq performed by lifting someone’s head 133 Qilaniq performed by lifting someone’s leg 135 Qilaniq performed by lifting clothing 136 Makittarniq, making predictions using bones 138 Irinaliutit, incantations 138 Qinngarniq, shouted prayer 141 Aarnguat, amulets; and niliqsiniq, farting 144 Chapter 7: The Private and Public Performances of the Angakkuit 147 Introduction 147 Private Performances Sakaniq with tunijjuit, fees 150 6507.3 English Vol.4 5/1/06 9:21 AM Page iii Public Performances Ilimmaqturniq 157 Discoveries of starvation and cannibalism made through ilimmaqturniq 159 Pavunngaarniq 163 Nakkaaniq 171 Qilaujjarniq 174 Kapijauniq 175 Chapter 8: Cosmology, Shamanism and Ilisiiqsiniq, hexing 179 Introduction 179 The song of the angakkuq Saittuq 181 Naarjuk 182 Silaat, the children of Sila 184 Tupilanniq, fighting with a tupilaq 185 Angakkuuniq and Ilisiiqsiniq 190 PART THREE: STUDENT ESSAYS ON COSMOLOGY AND SHAMANISM 195 Introduction 197 The Inuit Life Cycle — Aaju Peter and Nancy Kisa 199 Tuurngait — Julia Saimaiyuq 208 Tuurngait: An Integral Part of Shamanism — Susan Enuaraq 211 Inuit Relationships with Tuurngait and Tarriassuit — Johnny Kopak, Myna Ishulutak and Vera Arnatsiaq 216 The Spiritual Intervention of the Shaman in the Inuit World — Kim Kangok, Mathieu Boki and Jeannie Shaimaiyuk 220 Inuit Cosmology — Bernice Kootoo 229 GLOSSARY 245 ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF CITED PUBLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDED FURTHER READING 257 6507.3 English Vol.4 5/1/06 9:21 AM Page iv DEDICATION This book is dedicated to Iqallijuq Rose Ukumaaluk and to Lucassie Nutaraaluk, two elders who contributed so much to the book and who passed away shortly before it was completed; and to Johansi Ujarak, Isidore Ijituuq and Michel Kupaaq, also deceased, who contributed so much to the second part of this book. 6507.3 English Vol.4 5/1/06 9:21 AM Page v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS With much heartfelt gratitude we would like to thank the Pairijait Tigummivik Society for funding the publication costs for this series. Without their contribution this series may not have become a reality. Nick Newbery Nick Newbery d/oic7mE4Lt4 scsy3u[l wo6fy3u[l wo8ix3ioEJ5 kNK5 yM5g6n3F1u d/8N¨DmK5 XwE/w5 tA7uF4f8i4 ®Ns/6bc6t5tJ8N3mb sfx n6rtbsJ8N3i4nzk5. giy8i`Q2Xb sfx Wbco`Qgw8NExcC/Ms6S5. 26 25 24 23 22 20 6507.3 EnglishVol.45/1/069:21AMPagevi 19 21 18 17 16 v 12 15 13 11 9 10 8 14 6 7 1 Map 2 5 4 3 6507.3 EnglishVol.45/1/069:21AMPagevii 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 vq 6Oi6 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 x3Fo[Jx6 Pelly Bay Arviligjuaq 25 ezs4 Bathurst Inlet Kingauk 13 gkiDy6 Arctic Bay Tununirusiq 26 d3l6g6 Kugluktuk Qurluqtuq 6507.3 English Vol.4 5/1/06 9:21 AM Page viii 6507.3 English Vol.4 5/1/06 9:21 AM Page 1 Introduction Cosmology and Shamanism his book is the result of a course of the same name that I directed at Nunavut Arctic College in Iqaluit, in March 1998, at the request of Susan Sammons, the head of that institution’s Inuit Studies program. I had met Susan four years T th earlier in Iqaluit on the occasion of the 9 Inuit Studies Conference, which she had agreed to organize. My colleague, Louis-Jacques Dorais, and I started these biennial conferences in 1978 within the association Inuksiutiit Katimajiit Inc. Every two years, these meetings bring together researchers from different countries and Inuit involved in Inuit studies. In 1994, I was the chairperson and Susan invited me to give the opening address. The transcription is as follows: Madam Premier of the Northwest Territories, Mister President of the Arctic College, Dear Colleagues and Friends from all parts of the world, ilakka nunaqaqtuit Kalallit Nunaani, Nunavimmilu, ilakka Inuvialuit, Inupiallu, Yupiillu, Yupigiillu, ilakka Nunavummiut, Labradormiullu... One year after the signature of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement here at Iqaluit, it is a great pleasure to welcome all of you to this capital of the Eastern Arctic. This place has played an important role in the history of contact between Europeans and Arctic peoples. Forty years before Henry Hudson arrived, in what we now call Hudson Bay, Martin Frobisher made this region famous to Europeans in the 1570s, when he brought back ships loaded with gold ore, or so he thought. It was in fact iron ore. Part of this cargo is still visible today on a wharf at the port of London. He was also sure he had discovered a strait—the passage to China and Japan, the famous Northwest Passage—which was in fact this long and beautiful fjord. He even brought back to London some supposed Tartars or Samoyeds he had captured here, provoking an immediate protest from the Tsar, Ivan the Terrible, for this abuse against his subjects. Unfortunately this misrepresentation and general misunderstanding about what this country was, and who these peoples were, are not only things of the past. Introduction – Cosmology and Shamanism 1 6507.3 English Vol.4 5/1/06 9:21 AM Page 2 Indeed, one could find plenty of such misunderstanding in the