Introduction-E

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was being taken care of. I kept my eyes closed, and then opened them again and went back to sleep. After I had slept I woke up in a better condition. My skin was completely white. Even after I was like that, I recovered. I was not made to walk around. I wasn’t meant to die then. Today we see people adopting a lot from everywhere. Was it like that back then, too? Elisapee: Absolutely. Babies were not treated like dolls then. We have come across those who were adopted when they were not so small. The child would be mistreated and I’ve known of another family wanting to adopt the abused child. I never knew of anyone adopting a newborn child where we lived. Adoptions were arranged by elders. They were allowed to adopt after a birth if a woman had had a problem having children. The mother or the mother-in-law would search around as to where she could adopt from. My firstborn was taken by my mother-in-law when I bore the second one, even though I didn’t want to let him go. She was the one who wanted to adopt...the old lady? Elisapee: The grandmother. As if she were able to take better care of him. Maybe that’s why she took him. I do not know why she took him. Once they’re born, they are very adorable. So while they were still in the mother’s womb, it would be known that they were going to be adopted. If a particular mother had too many children, it must have been hard to look after them all. Even looking after one is tiring. There’s a limited number of jobs available for our children. It is easy to see they do not know how to live the Inuk way, and they do not know how to live the qallunaaq way. I think it’s not knowing the future which puts us in a scary position. Women have to pay attention as to how to use contraception. As for the women who go for abortion, I think abortion is wrong. When women miscarried, they used to keep it a secret because of the taboos they had to follow. The camps would go through hunger and lack of food. Or camp members would get sick, or something would happen to the community if anyone was keeping a secret. It’s probably the same when an abortion is performed, but a woman is not aware of it. If she tunuallak- [slipped], she could be injured. How did they tunuallak-? Elisapee: Slipping while walking. When you land more on one side, it can be dangerous. 24 <strong>Introduction</strong> to the Oral Traditions
It’s more dangerous to land on your side? Elisapee: Yes. When a girl got pregnant, did the man who was the father have rules to follow too? Elisapee: Yes, the pregnant one. I mean the father, the husband? Elisapee: Yes, in some ways. He abstained from eating raw meat with his wife, even though he could eat it if he was out hunting. But at home, he had to abstain from it. The woman was only permitted to eat what her husband had caught. She was not allowed to eat from elsewhere, if that were possible. The women who were married to men who weren’t successful hunters were said to be often hungry. The term kilingajuq was used when a man had to follow rules because his wife was pregnant. The men had rules to follow while their wives were pregnant. Those are the ones that are called kilingajuq. A man followed the rules as he loved his wife. I wonder if the men were told, as I have heard, that they weren’t allowed to hurt their [wives’] feelings? Elisapee: If the issue wasn’t that important, he had to try and be more understanding while she was pregnant. If she didn’t listen, then he had to be tactful [nikaginngillugu]. If she still didn’t listen, then she started getting abused. If she listened, then she wasn’t abused. What do you mean, nikaginngillugu? Elisapee: While she is pregnant, you should try and be tactful with her. Paniaq: I shouldn’t give a person a hard time, that’s what is meant by nikagilugu, not putting a person through hardship. Elisapee: Let’s get back to adoption. The daughter or the daughter-in-law would adopt only when elders advised adoption. But the one who delivered the child was reluctant to let the newborn go. They weren’t given anything by the adoptive parents. If one was reluctant to give a child away, the child’s life would be short. It is very different to how adoption is handled today. Some say, “I don’t want to keep this child. Are you willing to adopt it?” Now this is done without informing the elders. A woman doesn’t even Life Stories – Elisapee Ootoova 25
Page 1: INTERVIEWING INUIT ELDERS Introduct
Page 4 and 5: Interviewing Inuit Elders Volume 1
Page 7: A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S With
Page 10 and 11: We would like to thank Pauloosie An
Page 12 and 13: lectures at Leiden as well. The con
Page 14 and 15: Ooleepika, Hervé, Elisapee and Aaj
Page 16 and 17: Saullu: Yes. That’s the way it wa
Page 18 and 19: Inuit life and values. They thought
Page 20 and 21: own knowledge and experience and wa
Page 22 and 23: written from a totally different pe
Page 24 and 25: We’d like to hear you tell us you
Page 26 and 27: Were there a lot of people in your
Page 28 and 29: around. He arrived when I was fifte
Page 30 and 31: Yes. Elisapee: I would tag them fas
Page 32 and 33: This is while you are in labour? El
Page 36 and 37: consider the fact that the child sh
Page 38 and 39: Were they taken along or left behin
Page 40 and 41: So that’s Qaaqiuq’s song. Elisa
Page 42 and 43: Christians, knowing what we know no
Page 44 and 45: Did you stay away from Mittimatalik
Page 46 and 47: their diapers and we’d change the
Page 48 and 49: the other wife traveled with the hu
Page 50 and 51: parents or relatives and I was awar
Page 52 and 53: would show that a child hadn’t be
Page 54 and 55: You know the date? October 7, 1933?
Page 56 and 57: Did the Catholic priest reside in A
Page 58 and 59: would play with my seal-bone dogtea
Page 60 and 61: That’s the first time I’ve hear
Page 62 and 63: Why? Paniaq: I was scared rather th
Page 64 and 65: took her for a wife. They had a son
Page 66 and 67: taboos anymore. They were allowed t
Page 68 and 69: Can you tell us a story of anngiaqa
Page 70 and 71: I did not quite understand somethin
Page 72 and 73: Who are they? Saullu: Meekai, Eva a
Page 74 and 75: How old were you when you started t
Page 76 and 77: Tulugarjuaq who lived in Pangniqtuu
Page 78 and 79: The needles were from your mother?
Page 80 and 81: Did your grandfather Jason die ther
Page 82 and 83: assisting in births as much?” Tha
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object that is used to keep the fee
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did not sleep too well. I knew they
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attended, if there were more people
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That is the first time I heard of t
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Did you ever assist someone who had
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Were prayers said for it also? Saul
Page 96 and 97:
Is that how it used to be back then
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Were you told to do chores? Saullu:
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from what I learned from those two.
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Pauloosie Angmarlik Interviewers: M
Page 105 and 106:
Did you have any children from your
Page 107 and 108:
was born here in Iqaluit. They star
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Regarding hunting, did you go along
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I have heard that my grandfather, J
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When they came and got you, did you
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I’ll be asking about Christianity
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Were you able to preach after recei
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Let me get back to your childhood.
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The deceased was buried right away?
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Saullu: I will be buried facing nor
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This was also an old custom? Saullu
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attached to dogs that would [normal
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Did some people get mauled by dogs?
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How old were your sons when you sta
Page 133:
When you caught your first bear, wa
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August: saggaruut; [Mittimatalik].
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Upirngaallarik: Real spring in the
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Seal pups: Illauq: A foetus still i
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Rules for Women Bernice Kootoo Ihav
Page 144 and 145:
e careful not to touch the placenta
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Elisapee said they used to sing thi
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Teaching Children Julia Shaimaiyuk
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had become orphaned. They couldn’
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Pregnancy Myna Ishulutak My theme i
Page 154 and 155:
Introduction to sewing By Nancy Kis
Page 156 and 157:
Qaumauq Susan Enuaraq The Inuit Stu
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melts around the edge first; theref
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am blessed with grandchildren, I wa
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spontaneously. As it turned out tha
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niqairutijaraangamik qimmini nangmi
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ittunga qajaqarunniirami Because th
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amma iggaipalaagaajjungmat ijingik
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taakkua pingasut imaup iqqanganiitt
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aningagiik: Brother and Sister Lege
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tuqusalauq&ugu taassuminga niqiqaqt
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puijjujjauniariaksaq qulaliqtillugu
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nujani igumitavinirigamigit sivunir
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makpiqsimallunigit. sunauvvaukua an
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taakkua sakikkurasangit kamajualuul
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tamarma mamaqugalunga una nirigguk!
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qanuimmat iglut ingirravagunnairnir
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nattiup aksaqqungit qimminnguani ik
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paarnguriuqsimajukuluuliqtillugu au
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“Irngutarjuapiga nauk?” Where i
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taqqutini kamingmiuttiutilluniuk, m
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nunaup manningit Earth eggs As told
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Taliillajuut Sea People As told to
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siqummaatuinnaqtuni saatturuluummal
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piugijaqpaaluulluni anirnirvaluttuu
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imaitillugu kisiani qaujigajunniqsa
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taima qaqqsaut tusaatuinnaramigit u
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taannaguuq uqaqtuni ”anguguma nir
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Amiraijaut [Iglulik] The month when
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Illunnguaq A ring of stone, used as
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Nurraq A first year caribou or musk
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Talujaaq A snowdrift which forms a
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214 Introduction to the Oral Tradit
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216 Introduction to the Oral Tradit
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Introduction-E

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