Introduction-E

would play with my seal-bone dogteam on the floor. At the same time I would be
listening to the people telling stories. When they realized that I was listening, I would
be told, “Go play outside.” I knew I would be told that whenever I felt like listening.
So you had information you were not supposed to have?
Paniaq: It was only because I was so naïve that I gained some information. I mainly
listened and I learned a bit from there.
Were you told stories or was it just from listening?
Paniaq: I was always asking questions. I asked my mother questions, and she would tell
me stories that she had heard. So I heard a little and I would know who was related to
whom just from questioning her.
Did you live apart from all your siblings?
Paniaq: No, my father and my grandfather always lived in one dwelling. He had
adopted from my parents and from our fellow camp members. The ones they had
adopted came back with us when he died. Only one who was adopted wasn’t raised
with us.
The one who was kidnapped? 2
Paniaq: No, I had forgotten about her. The second oldest, who was called Arnarjuaq, is
the one I’m talking about. The one who was kidnapped and taken up there? She wasn’t
kidnapped. She was adopted, and then she was taken to the Kivalliq area. She wasn’t
kidnapped.
Can you talk about the games you used to play when you were a child?
Paniaq: Yes, of course. We used to play a game called amaruujaq, pretending to be a wolf.
And when someone started howling, we’d run off and then we’d look back to see where
the howling was. That’s how we used to play. And when it was springtime, we used to
play a game like baseball. I was able to participate in this game. Maybe you don’t know
that one. And when I became able to play amaruujaq I would do so. We would also play
tiigaruuti, trying to outdo each other. One would be called a name and one would try to
go this way while the other went the other way. I just used to watch that as I could not
be a part of it. Walrus bones were rounded and caribou hip bones were used as they
were rounded; that’s what I used to see. And I know how they made baseballs as I have
seen them being made. They used to make a ball from caribou skin, fill it up with
caribou hair and sew it up. We used that for a baseball.
48 Introduction to the Oral Traditions