Introduction-E

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the other wife traveled with the husband. The woman who didn’t have children was advised that they shouldn’t be together if they were going to be unhappy. If the man wasn’t going to treat both of his wives equally, he was told that he shouldn’t have two wives. A husband and a wife used to swap their mates with another couple, and the women would be told that they shouldn’t be jealous of each other. The men were told that they could not get angry at each other. Even if they swapped wives, they were not to have hard feelings towards each other. They had to agree that they would not fight. Maybe this fellow (Paniaq) might be able to give you more information, as we did not live in the same area. He is from the Iglulik area, so maybe he was more exposed to this lifestyle than I was and probably lived through that generation of wife swappers. People from the Mittimatalik area were exposed to Christianity before Iglulik people were. Paniaq: My late grandfather Ittuksaarjuat was reported to have had two wives. I know of one wife he had, but I do not know much about the other one he had at the same time. He had stopped being with her before she died. He didn’t abandon her? Paniaq: He didn’t just abandon her. He still provided for her and left children with her when we needed someone to look after the children while we went out on the land. I was too young, so I can’t really tell a story about her. I know that if a woman didn’t have a provider, a man would take her for a second wife so he could provide for her. That’s how it used to be. I don’t know. Probably they didn’t want to just abandon those who did not have a provider, so that’s how they used to take a second wife. He’d take her and be intimate without keeping it a secret from anyone. Were women allowed to take two husbands as well? Paniaq: Yes, I’ve heard of that, but I cannot really tell a story about it. How about you, have you heard of that? Were women allowed to have two husbands? Elisapee: I don’t know. I have never really heard of that. The only thing I have heard of is wife swapping. I have never really heard of a woman with two husbands. I have heard that’s how it used to be too. There would be one woman with two husbands, without keeping it a secret either. They would all sleep together? Elisapee: No, that’s not how it was. She would have two husbands, but they would not be there at the same time. I have heard about a man with two wives. I lived through that 38 <strong>Introduction</strong> to the Oral Traditions
era. I have seen a man who had two wives. He had left the other wife, and she had moved in with relatives when he left her. She stayed with relatives as she had no husband. The wife that remained with her husband died and although the other wife was available that man who had been her husband also died. I was only a child so I did not think about it at that time. When I heard about it later, it occurred to me, “Oh, I knew them.” You know what I mean. I do not really know of them, but I am talking only from what I have heard. I don’t really understand trying to talk about people if you don’t have the whole story. Can you tell us about the rules women had to follow? Elisapee: Rules for women? I already talked about rules for women yesterday. The girls were not allowed to go around visiting too much as they would one day grow up to be women. Once they were old enough to menstruate, they were to start following the rules that their mothers had to follow. The girls were not allowed to sit where the men sat if they were menstruating. Not because they were disgusting, but because of the fact that these men were hunters, and it was a taboo for the girls to sit at their place. There were other rules that girls had to follow, but I do not remember them all. Some rules were based on the birth of a newborn boy. Rules were based on the situation people were in. If a family had lost someone who had died, there were certain rules to be followed. If a person died by drowning or under other circumstances, certain rules were followed so that the same thing wouldn’t happen to the newborn child. Or, if they were named after a certain person, rules had to be followed so the child would end up being a mighty person. They had to follow rules which were established when the baby was born. The rules even applied to newborn girls. There were rules that depended on the person after whom the child was named. Maybe the person was blind, or a murderer...then different rules applied. If we were told about how the rules were applied and handled, I think we would all be appalled as they would be really serious about applying the rules. We know some people are named after those who have died. In our family we do not practice naming our newborns after someone who died, if he is not our own relative. For example, some names are common within our family and not so common in another family because we did not name our children after those who weren’t our own relatives. In our community of Mittimatalik, Ilupaalik is not a common name. It is quite common to hear that name in Iglulik. The name Uuttuvak is common in Mittimatalik, but not so common in Iglulik. Today it is different. Suppose a woman goes to Iqaluit to have a child and the child is born. If a person from Kinngait who has just lost a relative happens to be there, she names the newborn after his relative. That is not a practice our ancestors followed. Only if a couple were barren and didn’t have children to name after their Life Stories – Elisapee Ootoova 39
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 34 and 35: was being taken care of. I kept my
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 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
Page 84 and 85: object that is used to keep the fee
Page 86 and 87: did not sleep too well. I knew they
Page 88 and 89: attended, if there were more people
Page 90 and 91: That is the first time I heard of t
Page 92 and 93: Did you ever assist someone who had
Page 94 and 95: Were prayers said for it also? Saul
Page 96 and 97: Is that how it used to be back then
Page 98 and 99:
Were you told to do chores? Saullu:
Page 100 and 101:
from what I learned from those two.
Page 103 and 104:
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
Page 109 and 110:
Regarding hunting, did you go along
Page 111 and 112:
I have heard that my grandfather, J
Page 113 and 114:
When they came and got you, did you
Page 115 and 116:
I’ll be asking about Christianity
Page 117 and 118:
Were you able to preach after recei
Page 119 and 120:
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
Page 125 and 126:
This was also an old custom? Saullu
Page 127 and 128:
attached to dogs that would [normal
Page 129 and 130:
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
Page 136 and 137:
August: saggaruut; [Mittimatalik].
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Upirngaallarik: Real spring in the
Page 140 and 141:
Seal pups: Illauq: A foetus still i
Page 142 and 143:
Rules for Women Bernice Kootoo Ihav
Page 144 and 145:
e careful not to touch the placenta
Page 146 and 147:
Elisapee said they used to sing thi
Page 148 and 149:
Teaching Children Julia Shaimaiyuk
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had become orphaned. They couldn’
Page 152 and 153:
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
Page 158 and 159:
melts around the edge first; theref
Page 160 and 161:
am blessed with grandchildren, I wa
Page 162 and 163:
spontaneously. As it turned out tha
Page 164 and 165:
niqairutijaraangamik qimmini nangmi
Page 166 and 167:
ittunga qajaqarunniirami Because th
Page 168 and 169:
amma iggaipalaagaajjungmat ijingik
Page 170 and 171:
taakkua pingasut imaup iqqanganiitt
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aningagiik: Brother and Sister Lege
Page 174 and 175:
tuqusalauq&ugu taassuminga niqiqaqt
Page 176 and 177:
puijjujjauniariaksaq qulaliqtillugu
Page 178 and 179:
Page 180 and 181:
nujani igumitavinirigamigit sivunir
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makpiqsimallunigit. sunauvvaukua an
Page 184 and 185:
Page 186 and 187:
taakkua sakikkurasangit kamajualuul
Page 188 and 189:
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tamarma mamaqugalunga una nirigguk!
Page 192 and 193:
qanuimmat iglut ingirravagunnairnir
Page 194 and 195:
nattiup aksaqqungit qimminnguani ik
Page 196 and 197:
paarnguriuqsimajukuluuliqtillugu au
Page 198 and 199:
“Irngutarjuapiga nauk?” Where i
Page 200 and 201:
taqqutini kamingmiuttiutilluniuk, m
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nunaup manningit Earth eggs As told
Page 204 and 205:
Taliillajuut Sea People As told to
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siqummaatuinnaqtuni saatturuluummal
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piugijaqpaaluulluni anirnirvaluttuu
Page 210 and 211:
imaitillugu kisiani qaujigajunniqsa
Page 212 and 213:
taima qaqqsaut tusaatuinnaramigit u
Page 214 and 215:
taannaguuq uqaqtuni ”anguguma nir
Page 216 and 217:
Amiraijaut [Iglulik] The month when
Page 218 and 219:
Illunnguaq A ring of stone, used as
Page 220 and 221:
Nurraq A first year caribou or musk
Page 222 and 223:
Talujaaq A snowdrift which forms a
Page 224 and 225:
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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