Introduction-E

Essays
Moon, seasons and stars
Aaju Peter
Ichose to write about the different traditional names of the months and the different
seasons. I once heard about the names of the months in Inuktitut and I thought they
were so much more relevant for life up here than the names they now have. I liked
the fact that the months described something in nature, like the shedding of caribou fur
or the return of the sun. I also wanted to know if seasons were celebrated and how time
and direction were told. I did not know very much about these things, if anything. The
elders from Northern Baffin still knew the terms for the months and seasons, whereas
the elders from Pangniqtuuq could only remember two names of the months, although
they had more terms for the seasons in a year. I also gathered information about telling
direction even if the stars, moon, and sun were not visible. I found that very interesting.
I also got additional information about the different names of seal pups and caribou
calves in their various stages of development, about the time of year when they are born,
etc.
I learned a lot from these interviews, not only about life as it was, but also about
how to do a better interview next time. I was so focused on the past that I totally forgot
to ask Elisapee, whom I had to interview about her lifestory, if she had any children. I
found it was difficult to get information about the time before Christianity, because Inuit
were told to stop using their traditional beliefs and taboos after they got baptized.
The elders were very patient and willing to give information as long as they knew
about the subject. In some cases, they did not want to express knowledge about
something if they had not experienced it themselves, even if they had heard about it.
Months and moons
In the North, the changing moons were named after the changes happening in the
surroundings. The names of the moons characterized what was generally happening at
that particular time of year, be it the sun returning, the animals being born, etc.
Although there are variations according to where in the North you are, the names of the
changing moons are much alike. The following traditional terms for the different moons
or months, as they were used in Iglulik and Mittimatalik, were told to us by Hervé
Paniaq from Iglulik:
July: iksuut; [Mittimatalik]. Because the rivers are melting, and people hear
rivers melting.[Iglulik] saggaruut.
Essays – Moon, seasons, and stars 125