Inuit myths
In the past centuries, the Inuit have told themselves myths and legends on summer evenings in tents, but especially during the long winter nights in igloos and Qarmaq (sod house) . Telling such stories gave families a sense of belonging and togetherness. It linked the past with the present and brought the ancestors closer to the children. Above all, it served both education and entertainment. Stories and songs were also recited on the occasion of larger gatherings, and to this day, in addition to such recitals, games of skill and sport, drum dance and larynx singing are performed on festive occasions . The latter is a playful competition in which two partners try to make each other laugh with a kind of rhythmic singing made up of monotonous throat sounds; whoever laughs first is the loser. Dancing and singing contribute to entertainment like storytelling, but they serve in particular to pass on knowledge from one's own history and to preserve tradition .
Myth language
The language in which the Inuit told their myths and legends was Inuktitut , the "language of the people" - at least in the eastern part of what is now the Canadian territory of Nunavut . Since the Inuit traditionally did not produce any written documents due to the arctic living conditions, their language only developed orally and was not manifested in writing.
Development of today's writing system
Only in the course of the 20th century did two writing systems gradually become established in northern Canada : syllabic writing (syllabisms) and the Latin alphabet in phonetic writing. The syllabisms were designed around 1840 by the missionary James Evans from English shorthand and introduced to the Cree Indians. In 1865 the Anglican missionaries John Horden and EA Watkins first used these symbols when writing Inuktitut. The Anglican Reverend Edmund Peck finally began in 1876 to teach the Inuit in the region now known as Inuvik , Northern Québec , in this Inuktitut spelling. In the following period, the system spread mainly over the northeast of Canada.
Myths - medium of transmission
Not only practical everyday knowledge, but also myths, legends and songs were only passed on orally for centuries due to the lack of writing. At their core, the stories contained ways of thinking and experiences; in the end they were the medium to preserve wisdom and to fulfill educational concerns. The essential statements were passed on as unchanged as possible from generation to generation and accepted as truth without reservation. Today's narrator does not express himself either, but speaks of knowledge that his ancestors - at least in part - collected and passed on over many centuries. This also explains why the stories are not smoothed out and embellished for the sake of the listener, and why good does not have to triumph over bad. However, it is in the nature of the transmission that the form and content of the stories have changed slightly from time to time, and that some details also differ regionally or, not least, depending on the narrator - for example in the depiction of the emergence of life.
History of the Myths Documentation
Inuit myths and legends were first written down in the 18th century by the missionary Hans Egede and his son Poul Egede in Greenland . However, the German-Danish geologist Hinrich Rink (1819–1893), who systematically began collecting Inuit stories in Greenland in the mid- 19th century, should be mentioned as the actual founder of more intensive research into Inuit culture . He worked closely with the seal hunter Aron von Kangeq , who also wrote down the myths of his people and, above all, captured them in pictures. A little later, the German-American Franz Boas (1858-1942) from Minden / Westphalia recorded the stories of the Inuit living on the Canadian Baffin Island , while almost at the same time the Russian Waldemar Bogoras (1864-1936) kept records of the relatives of the Siberian who lived in Siberia Inuit made. As the most important connoisseur of Inuit myths and folklore, however, Knud Rasmussen (1879–1933) should be emphasized. The son of a Danish pastor and a mother of Inuit descent from Ilulissat (formerly Jakobshavn), Greenland, recorded an abundance of traditional stories during his numerous expeditions in Greenland and across northern Canada to Alaska , which are still known as serve as essential source material for Eskimology .
It has long been known that the elders (English: "Elders") from their childhood in the camps still had profound knowledge of the past, especially of myths and legends. At the same time, however, it was recognized and feared that all this knowledge threatened to be lost with the extinction of this generation of elders, since in today's Inuit communities there is hardly any narration in the traditional way. After western civilization with all its modern, partly positive and partly negative communication and entertainment possibilities has penetrated even the most distant settlements in the past decades, the Inuit now mostly hear their legends on the radio.
The impending loss of essential cultural assets has recently led to increased efforts to preserve the knowledge of the elders and, not least, to use it for research. Graduates of the Nunavut Arctic Colleges in Iqaluit and Iglulik were given the task of conducting extensive interviews with elders under the professional guidance of ethnologists and anthropologists and of making detailed records with the help of tape recordings. The aim was to preserve traditional knowledge that had previously only been passed on orally or via foreign languages as an essential component for the identity and moral orientation of the Inuit. Accordingly, the introductory text to the now published records states: “In the past, most of the written material about the Inuit was created by non-Inuit, which led to many misinterpretations or misrepresentations. In addition, these documents were almost only available in English. The materials included in the 'Interviewing Inuit Elders' series, on the other hand, were created from an Inuit perspective that empathizes with Inuit culture and values. "
The importance of the Inuit today to preserving traditional knowledge as part of their identity is particularly evident from the fact that a large part of their artistic activity is devoted to mythological themes. Many artistically sophisticated sculptures show mythical figures (e.g. Sedna ) based on the traditional animistic religion of the Inuit, e.g. the depiction of shamans (Angakkuit, e.g. Pallaya Qiatsuq: Angakkuq, shaman) and transformations (people into animals and vice versa, e.g. Kellypalik Qimirpiq: faces, Tytusie Tunnillie: transformation) or directly depict mythical tales (e.g. Qiatsuq Shaa: man taming musk ox, Kiugak Ashoona: igloo destroying giant).
Content and themes of the Inuit myths
At first glance, the Inuit stories seem to be structured differently from our Western folk tales . Some of these stories hardly have a plot. Others, on the other hand, report on real events and are only perceived as legends because the event is almost unbelievable. It is not uncommon for a conflict and its resolution to be simply described.
Inuit religious beliefs were an integral part of the traditional tales. They were based on a kind of animism , i.e. the belief that all forces of nature and all objects are endowed with spiritual properties or even with soul and have spiritual content. The soul of man was considered immortal and lived on after physical death - in the sky, under the sea or above the clouds. In addition, she was granted the ability to wander through other people or animals. Different types of animals and geophysical phenomena have been assigned certain spirits. These could harm or benefit people, and the Inuit life was influenced by various taboos as a result .
Belief in this spirit world meant that the Inuit needed a mediator who was able to make direct contact with the unearthly beings or spirits. This mediator was the shaman (Inuktitut: Angakkuq, plural: Angakkuit), which is why shamanism , which sometimes still plays a covert role today, was of central importance in the Inuit faith.
In this context one will encounter a mythical figure again and again: Sedna , the sea goddess, the ruler over the animals of the sea. When Sedna is angry, the Inuit have no luck in hunting marine animals. For this reason Sedna was implored by the Angakkuit to be gracious. And in many Inuit stories the Angakkuq does everything possible to appease Sedna: only if he succeeds in doing so will she release the marine animals that live under her rule for human hunting.
The luminosity of the moon is also of particular importance in the long arctic winter nights, which is why some Angakkuit flights there. For the Inuit, the moon man had special powers: he embodies the principle of the masculine. He can help a barren woman to have a child. He is also the guardian of taboos.
Among the animals, the tulugaq, the raven , occupies a prominent position in the circumpolar world, and recent studies suggest that the shape of this mighty black bird played an essential role in the development of Inuit shamanism. Nanuq, the polar bear , is also seen as an impressive power animal . The ability of this bear to adapt to the greatest adversity, as well as its fearlessness, great strength and endurance, are traditionally desirable qualities for the Inuit.
When asked whether the Inuit believed in a supreme supreme being with defining properties, in a supreme deity, elders state that nature has such a function.
The belief that the human soul can wander and find itself in animals is reflected in many myths and legends in which there is a connection between humans and animals. Mostly, love partnerships are reported in which male animals take on human form and then play the part of the man. The emergence of such motives may be based on Sodomite experiences - then above all with dogs, as these belong to the Inuit's closest circle.
In general, sexual life took a prominent position among the Inuit, and so its description and the description of the genitals were extremely frank and realistic. The Inuit were just as familiar with monogamy as they were with polygamy, polyandry, promiscuity and exchanging women.
In addition to stories that address or are based on religious ideas, there are also a number of legends of a very pragmatic nature. The Inuit culture based on hunting made the successful hunter a hero in particular. He was characterized by strength, enterprise and cunning. Fear was by no means denied, but the hero overcame all dangers with wisdom, cunning and not infrequently magical powers. In essence, the hero was helpful and hospitable. In the sexual field, he was distinguished by high potency.
Orphans who have been molested by wicked people or otherwise neglected by fate were generally treated with special compassion, and they are therefore featured in many narratives.
The experience of extreme starvation and even cannibalism as a last resort before starvation was also reflected in some stories.
After all, the Inuit also know a number of legends, especially those about animals, which, like our bedtime stories, were told to the children to sleep.
One thing, however, should never be missing when presenting stories, whatever their content: the element of entertainment.
Ever since anthropologists like Franz Boas and Knud Rasmussen began to record myths and legends of the Inuit, the written form has primarily served the goal of keeping traditional stories from being forgotten and not simply reading material.
Narrative
Inuit and their ancestors have developed their own culture, shaped only by their harsh environment, over the millennia, during which they lived without contact to the “southern” outside world of the Qallunaat (non-Inuit). This results in some not unimportant facts that should be pointed out in this context: The way Inuit tell is still different today from our style of language. The Inuit's way of speaking is characterized by a rambling imagination and sometimes almost lyrical detailed enumeration. Since time traditionally played no role in storytelling, for example on long winter evenings, repetitions and redundancies are quite common and a natural means of deepening the narrative content for the listener. Often a story was never told to the end on one day, but continued the following evening, which increased the tension.
The difference between Inuit and Qallunaat cultures doesn't just affect the narrative style. Often, non-Inuit are also unable to receive signals that are set by the use of certain words or associate them with completely different feelings than the Inuit. So one understands z. For example, what a young Inuit woman means when “I wish my Amautiq (women's parka) was full” is not straightforward : in this way she expresses her wish for a baby, which she usually carries in the hood of her Amautiq carries around. Even the giving of food to the bereaved after the death of loved ones is not immediately recognized by non-Inuit as an important consolation for the loss - food was and is traditionally something of elementary value for the Inuit.
Aya-yait
Aya-yait are songs with which the Inuit passed on experiences from one generation to the next and whose refrain "aya-ya" gave them their name. Such aya-yait are described e.g. B. Hundreds of kilometers long travel routes by stringing together characteristic landscape features and ancient artificial landmarks (Inuktitut: "Inuksuit") in stanzas; Following the song you reached your destination safely.
See also
literature
- Heinz Barüske (Ed.): Eskimo fairy tales (epilogue), Eugen Diederichs Verlag Munich, 3rd edition 1991 ISBN 3-424-01048-0
- Franz Boas: The Central Eskimos ; Lincoln, Nebraska 1970 (first edition Washington 1888)
- Bernadette Driscoll: Inuit Myths, Legends & Songs , Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1982 ISBN 0-88915-104-0
- John MacDonald: The Arctic Sky - Inuit Astronomy, Star Lore, and Legend , Royal Ontario Museum Toronto, 1998 ISBN 0-88854-432-4
- Jarich Oosten & Frédéric Laugrand (Eds.): Interviewing Inuit Elders, Vol. 1: Introduction , Iqaluit 1999, ISBN 1-896204-31-7
- Knud Rasmussen: Report of the Fifth Thule Expedition, 1921–24 , Copenhagen 1929–32
- Bernard Saladin d'Anglure (Ed.): Interviewing Inuit Elders, Vol. 4: Cosmology and Shamanism , Iqaluit 2001, ISBN 1-896204-38-4
- Harold Seidelman & James Turner: The Inuit Imagination , Douglas & McIntyre Vancouver, 1993 ISBN 1-55054-102-1
Inuit myth collections in German
In the German-speaking world, the myths and legends of the Inuit are hardly known, and the book market nowadays has only a few authentic publications in German:
- Heinz Barüske (ed.): Eskimo fairy tales , Eugen Diederichs Verlag Munich, 3rd edition 1991 ISBN 3-424-01048-0
- Knud Rasmussen: Der Sängerkrieg - Eskimo sagas from Greenland , Verlag Clemens Zerling Berlin, 2001 (first edition Berlin 1922) ISBN 3-88468-050-1
- Knud Rasmussen: The gift of the eagle - Eskimo myths from Alaska , Verlag Clemens Zerling Berlin, 1996 (first edition Frankfurt 1937) ISBN 3-88468-037-4
- Ansgar Walk: How the sun and moon came to the sky , Pendragon Verlag Bielefeld, 2003 ISBN 3-934872-41-7
Individual evidence
- ↑ Polar Bears - Traditional Knowledge. ( Memento of the original from November 6, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Polar bears, traditional knowledge
