HUNTERS, PREDATORS AND PREY Hunters, Predators and Prey Inuit Perceptions of Animals (cid:2) Frédéric Laugrand and Jarich Oosten berghahn N E W Y O R K • O X F O R D www.berghahnbooks.com Published in 2015 by Berghahn Books www.berghahnbooks.com © 2015 Frédéric Laugrand and Jarich Oosten All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purposes of criticism and review, no part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without written permission of the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Laugrand, Frédéric. Hunters, predators and prey : Inuit perceptions of animals / by Frédéric Laugrand and Jarich Oosten. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-78238-405-2 (hardback : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-78238-406-9 (ebook) 1. Inuit—Rites and ceremonies. 2. Inuit—Hunting. 3. Human-animal relationships—Nunavut. 4. Animals—Folklore. I. Oosten, J. G., 1945– II. Title. E99.E7L368 2014 398.24’5—dc23 2014000897 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Printed on acid-free paper. ISBN 978-1-78238-405-2 hardback ISBN 978-1-78238-406-9 ebook Contents (cid:2) List of Figures vii Acknowledgements ix Part I. Introduction Chapter 1. Theoretical Perspectives 3 Chapter 2. The Animals and Their Environment 27 Chapter 3. The Making of a Good Hunter 56 Part II. Life and Death Chapter 4. The Raven, the Bringer of Light 83 Chapter 5. Qupirruit, Masters of Life and Death 113 Part III. Fellow Hunters Chapter 6. The Dog, Partner of the Hunter 151 Chapter 7. The Bear, a Fellow Hunter 179 Part IV. Prey Chapter 8. The Caribou, the Lice of the Earth 209 Chapter 9. The Seal, the Offspring of the Sea Woman 265 Chapter 10. The Whale, Representing the Whole 308 Comparisons and Conclusions 342 Appendix. Inuit Elders 362 vi Contents Glossary of Inuktitut Words 367 References 379 Index 401 Figures (cid:2) 1.1. Map of Nunavut, Canada. 18 1.2. Ollie Itinnuaq from Rankin Inlet and George Kappianaq from Iglulik in a workshop organized in Rankin Inlet in 2002. 21 1.3. Job and Eva Murjungniq, two Ahiarmiut from Arviat, with Frédéric Laugrand on the left and Jarich Oosten on the right. 22 1.4. The upper scene shows hunting at the seal breathing holes. The hunter on the left is ready to kill the seal; the other hunter appears to be watching. The second scene depicts a fully loaded sledge drawn by dogs. 23 2.1. Caribou and seals are the most important prey. 28 2.2. Inuit hunters and their women travelling inland for the caribou hunt. 35 2.3. Like the caribou, the walrus is a gregarious animal, often appearing in multitudes. 37 3.1. Hunting scenes: shooting the caribou, bringing home the prey and returning with a seal. 58 3.2. Fishing with a fi shing spear. 61 3.3. ‘Save the Baby Veal.’ Poster designed to turn the tables on anti-seal hunt activists. 74 4.1. Amulets, composed of a raven foot with the claws, insects sewn into small skin bags and two ermine skins. 94 4.2. Raven’s print. 106 viii Figures 5.1. Tuktordjuk, a sea spider found by Father Van de Velde in Pelly Bay (Kugaaruk), in 1956. 130 5.2. The late Luke Anautalik playing with an insect in Arviat. 133 5.3. Anonymous carving from Naujaat representing a louse preserved at the Eskimo Museum (Churchill: C68.19.1). 139 5.4. Anonymous carving from Naujaat representing a caterpillar preserved at the Eskimo Museum (Churchill: C55.11.1). 143 6.1. The dog as a hunting companion. Dogs were often used to hunt polar bears. 153 6.2. Charlie Inuaraq attaching his dogs to his qamutik (dog sled) before going out hunting in Mittimatalik. 154 7.1. A polar bear in the tundra. 186 7.2. Model representing a tupilaq that resembled a bear. 191 8.1. A hunter approaching a caribou herd. 210 8.2. A caribou near Mittimatalik. 211 8.3. Hunting caribou at the nablut. 233 8.4. Caribou killed from a boat in Nunavik. 234 8.5. Peter Suvaksiuq from Arviat with his catch. 242 9.1. A hunter hides behind a snow wall to hunt a seal. 282 9.2. At the aglu, the seal comes to the hunter. 284 9.3. Seals and a sled. 285 10.1. W halers and a whale. 309 10.2. T he hunters about to harpoon a whale in Kangiqsujuaq, Nunavik, in 2008. 330 10.3. A whale has been dragged onto the shore to be butchered. 331 10.4. B utchering the whale is done immediately so the maktaaq can be shared by the hunters and the surrounding communities. 333 11.1. I nuk holding a lemming and a falcon in Nunavik, where these birds are sometimes kept for a short period before being released in the tundra. 352 11.2. I mitating the seal, uutuq hunting. 355 Acknowledgements (cid:2) This book is the result of research we conducted for more than fi fteen years. We received the support of many Inuit elders. Many of them have passed away now. We are grateful to them for sharing their recol- lections and knowledge with us. Ollie and Lizzie Itinnuaq, Peter Suvaksiuq, Josie Angutinngurniq, and Job and Eva Muqyunniq organized and hosted the elders workshops in Kangiq&iniq (2000 and 2002), Arviat (2003 and 2005), Kugaarruk (2004), and Maguse River (2011). Ollie Itinnuaq, as well as Job and Eva Muqyunniq, are no longer with us. Susan Sammons of Nunavut Arctic College, who always supported our work, has also passed away. We remain very much indebted to them. Many Inuit helped us in organizing the workshops, translating the recorded material or giving support to our project in other ways. We thank Henry Kablalik, Noa Tiktak, Atuat, Lisa Koperqualuk, Gloria Putumiraqtuq, Sarah Silou, Betsy Annahatak, Myna Ishulutaq, David Serkoak, Louise Flaherty and Alexina Kublu for their help. We also thank John MacDonald and Louis Tapardjuk for granting us access to the interviews of the Iglulik Oral Traditions Project as well as for their hospitality during our research in Iglulik. We are grateful to Bishop Reynald Rouleau, Father Robert Lechat, Father André Dubois and Lorraine Brandson for supporting and facilitating our research in the fi eld and in the archives. We wish to express our gratitude to many colleagues, friends and graduate students whose stimulating ideas en- riched classes, conferences and the writing of many papers. We are particularly grateful for the comments and discussions of our work at different stages and occasions by our colleagues, particu- larly Peter Armitage, David Anderson, Cunera Buijs, Florence Brunois, Robert Crépeau, Denys Delâge, Philippe Descola, Louis-Jacques Do- rais, Robert Fréchette, Jean-Guy Goulet, Roberte Hamayon, Pierre-Jo