Published in Canada by Inhabit Media Inc. (www.inhabitmedia.com) • Inhabit
Media Inc.
(Iqaluit Office), P.O. Box 11125, Iqaluit, Nunavut, X0A 1H0 • (Toronto Office), 146A
Orchard View Blvd., Toronto, Ontario, M4R 1C3
Edited by Neil Christopher and Louise Flaherty • Written by Rachel and Sean
Qitsualik-Tinsley • Illustrated by Jeremy Mohler
Design and layout copyright © 2015 Inhabit Media Inc. • Text copyright © 2015 by
Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley • Illustrations by Jeremy Mohler copyright ©
2015 Inhabit Media Inc.
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 retrievable system, without written consent of the
publisher, is an infringement of copyright law.
Printed and bound in Canada
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts for our publishing
program.
We acknowledge the support of the Government of Canada through the Department
of Canadian Heritage Canada Book Fund program.
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Qitsualik-Tinsley, Rachel, 1953-, author
Stories of survival & revenge from Inuit folklore / written
by Rachel & Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley ; illustrated by Jeremy
Mohler.
ISBN 978-1-77227-001-3 (pbk.)
1. Inuit--Folklore--Comic books, strips, etc. 2. Graphic novels.
I. Qitsualik-Tinsley, Sean, 1969-, author II. Mohler, Jeremy, illustrator
III. Title. IV. Title: Stories of survival and revenge from Inuit folklore.
PN6733.Q58S76 2015
j741.5’971
C2015-900716-X
Contents
Foreword
vi
Nuliajuk
1
Kaugjagjuk
25
Nanurluk
47
Understanding
Inuit Legends & Lore
67
Contributors
76
v
Foreword
Life in the Arctic can be difficult. Think
about the cold, severe storms, shifting ice,
and difficulty of finding food. Imagine the
ingenuity required to hunt Arctic animals
without much wood or metal to make
weapons. Inuit depended on each other
to survive in this northern world. Many
Inuit customs and taboos were passed
down to ensure that the relationships of a
camp or village remained strong.
Even though life could be difficult and
much knowledge needed to be learned,
you will find that in Inuit elders rarely
explained things directly. That was not
the way. Instead, you were expected to
watch, listen, and learn. Knowledge and
vi
wisdom were things each person earned
on their own. And one of the ways that
values were shared and passed on was
through stories. Inuit culture is rich with
stories. Many of the rules of life, and
much of Inuit history, values, and beliefs
are encoded in stories.
Inuit believed that knowledge was
personal, and that each person’s
knowledge and understanding was unique
and valuable. In this book you will read
three cautionary tales told by two gifted
storytellers. Consider each tale as you
read it. What is the message? Why was
this story told?
Even though the world has changed, you
will find that these old stories still have
much to teach us.
Neil Christopher & Louise Flaherty
Iqaluit, Nunavut, 2015
vii
Nuliajuk
In times long ago:
T
here was a girl who lived only with
her father and some dogs. She was
pretty, so her father had guessed that he
could easily find a husband for her. He
was wrong.
Over and over again, young hunters
came to visit the girl and her father.
Each visitor asked if he could marry the
girl. But she was rude. She ignored the
hunters, or hid herself, until they grew
frustrated and left. Her father grew
angry.
“You have to marry someone, someday,”
he would tell her.
3