Soapstone Carvings and Sculptures

Origin of Caribou

Back in the days when animals and men could change themselves and all spoke one language, a spirit came and took a human woman for a wife. He dwelt among the humans but does not hunt for food for he needs none.

The other hunters work hard to provide the needed materials for their families and slowly grow angry that such a one among them does not hunt. The hunters angrily say he must hunt or will be exiled from the camp. Angrily, the spirit leaves the camp and after walking several miles, the spirit punches a hole into the ground and out jumps a caribou which he immediately kills, then covers the hole returning back to the camp.

He says to the hunters "There, this animal is food, I am a hunter".

The next day the spirit goes out to hunt again, but this time another hunter secretly follows him. When he gets out of sight of the camp, the spirit once again punches a hole into the earth and once again out jumps a caribou. Once again the spirit slays it and covers the hole. Unbeknownst to him, he was being watched.

After the spirit leaves, the man runs to the hole and uncovers it, again a caribou jumps out frightening the man so he runs away, leaving the hole open so that all the caribou come out. They dot the land for there are many many.

The spirit seeing them, runs to them and kicks them in the head, flattening their foreheads and says "You must always wander the land now; and you will always fear man".

This is how the caribou came to be, why they have flat heads, why their colouring comes from the land and they are timid for they always remember a man kicking them.

My good friends Jeela and Jomie are two Inuit artists living and studying in Yellowknife Canada.
Their works are amazing to see. You will be hearing and seeing more of these outstanding artists in the Inuit Art world very soon.

Itu (grandfather) Jim

visit their web site at http://www.geocities.com/jeela_jomie

Apparently my friends Jeela and Jomie have changed their email address and messages through their (still active?) web site are not going through.

If you know either of them, please relay this message: "All the best of luck old friends, Itu Jim"

The Legend Of Sedna

Once upon a time, before the white men and all others, the Inuit hunted the land and fished the land. In this time, was a great hunter, whose wife had died long ago leaving a girl child. The hunter would raise the child himself.

The child grew to become a very beautiful woman with many suitors seeking her hand. The hunter was proud for his daughter, she could sew good clothing and in all the land none was so pretty . Finally the hunter had decided who would marry his daughter, with pride he called his daughter to his side and said, "Daughter I have chosen your husband, it will be this man".

The daughter disagreed and would not take the man selected, the great hunter felt shamed and in anger, the great hunter said " You have shamed me, since you will not accept a man, then you will have my dog, for that is all that is fit for a girl child who dishonors her father".

During that night, the hunter's dog came in and visited the daughter, on this night he took her as his wife. When the great hunter realized what had occurred, once again he was shamed and cried out "Daughter, you are with the child of my dog and shame me again, you will be placed in isolation as you deserve no better". With that the great hunter took his daughter and isolated his daughter so no others would be shamed by her.

But the dog husband loved the daughter for she was gentle and kind and so to save his love and the mother of his litter, Dog would swim out to the island, his packs laden with food and skins. And lo and behold, the daughter survived and gave birth to a litter, some human and some dog children.

The great hunter finding out about this perceived atrocity was enraged, unknowingly to Dog, the hunter filled the packs with heavy stones and so the Dog swam out with supplies. But the pack was too heavy and the seas too rough, Dog sank to the bottom and drowned.

Several days later, the great hunter feeling remorse for his only child, set out in his kayak laden with food to make amends, but was driven back, when in her grief the daughter sent her dog children to attack their grandfather. Fearing reprisals from her father, the daughter in efforts to save her children, placed her dog children in a seal skin boot and set them adrift upon the seas praying to the gods of air to see them safe. And so they were, they floated out to sea and became the ancestors of the white men. With her remaining boot, the daughter placed her human children inside, and once again prayed to the gods, and set them adrift. The human children floated away to become the ancestors to the Indians.

Now the daughter was alone and without food for the great hunter was fearful to return with supplies. Each day before hunting he would look across the sea and his daughter but never would he venture out to her again.

The one day as he glanced out, his daughter was no longer there, she had disappeared. For during his hunt, a handsome man in a kayak appeared and seeing the beautiful daughter, stopped. "Come with me, daughter, for I am a great hunter and will provide you with food and home" said the handsome man. And so the daughter went.

En route to her new far off home, they stopped along the way, and the handsome man removed his clothing for the sun was high and kayaking is hard work. The girl burst out into tears, for now standing before her was not a handsome man but a northern fulmar (Bird man) in human form. His eyes black, his muscles bulging. Without the need for human clothing, the fulmar now made good speed and soon he and the daughter were at his nest tent.

Time went by and true to his word, the fulmar provided food and warmth to the daughter and she did not want for anything. Together they had a child.

The Father had continued his search for his daughter feeling remorse at how pride had made him treat his only child and after many years of travel he once again found his daughter in the land of the Fulmar. The father arrived when the fulmar was away and seeing his daughter he burst into tears "Forgive me daughter, I have come to take you home". With those words, the father scooped up his daughter and with his kayak began making his way home.

The fulmar returned and seeing his wife gone, set out to rescue her, and in his bird form was able to catch up and try to regain his wife. His wings beat down upon the water as he swooped trying to make the father turn back. The waves grew bigger and almost capsized the kayak, the father in fear of dying, threw his daughter overboard so he could get away, but she held upon the kayak by her fingers.

The hunter in abject terror now took his knife and with one blow chopped off a finger, it fell into the sea and behold, it became a seal and swam away. The hunter chopped another finger, and it too became a walrus. The hunter chopped a third finger, and it became the bearded seal. With each finger being chopped, so the sea mammals were made.

Finally, not being able to grasp the kayak, the daughter sank to the bottom of the seas. As she sank, the Moon Spirit (Tatqeq) and The Air Spirit (Sila) combined together and said "For your hardship, we give you the power of all so that you will become the guardian for the Inuit". With that, Sedna was born and created a kingdom which lies at the bottom of the sea and was once again reunited with her Dog husband.

The father made good his escape, but memories of his daughter gave him great remorse so that one day, he lay down at the edge of the sea and asked his daughter to forgive him. As he slept, the tide came out and reunited him with his daughter. Together all dwell at the bottom of the sea.

Now when the Inuit transgress against other Inuit or the land, Sedna will make the sea mammals scarce and cause the seas and the air to storm, displaying her anger to her people. It is then that the shaman must travel down to the kingdom and discover the roots of the problems then solve and rectify them with the people. Only then will Sedna be placated and calm the weather and release the mammals so the Inuit do not suffer starvation.

In some cases, the shaman can enter a trance like state to visit with Sedna or can be given the ability to breath underwater. Sedna keeps a comb and when shamans visit, it is expected that they comb her hair from algae for she can not hold the comb herself.



visit: Jim's Soapstone Carvings at http://www3.sympatico.ca/ve3jji

Origin of the Raven

Once upon a time, two birds were together and decided to become more beautiful
than any of the other birds. They decided that they would tattoo each other, creating designs upon themselves which would be the envy of all other birds.

As one bird began painting the other, the bird being painted would not hold still. Even after repeated scoldings by the one doing the painting, the painted bird would simply not hold still.

Finally, with his patience wearing thin and finally exhausted, the painter bird dumped all the black colour all over the colourfully painted bird and thus the first raven came into existence.



visit: Jim's Soapstone Carvings at http://www3.sympatico.ca/ve3jji

Origin of Mosquitoes

Once upon a time, there was a camp of Inuit, but it faced hard times, for there was no game nor was there fish or seals for the taking. Slowly, one by one the people starved to death except for two old women.


They survived by eating the lice found on each other. When eventually, a new group of Inuit arrived, they found all dead except the two old ladies.


Suspecting them of cannibalism, the old women were immediately killed and their stomachs cut open. Frightened, the lice grew wings and flew away and so the Mosquito was born.



visit: Jim's Soapstone Carvings at http://www3.sympatico.ca/ve3jji

Two Shamans Contest

Once upon a time, in a large camp, lived a shaman. He was good and benevolent and had the power to change his form into whatever animal he wanted. He helped his people and was considered a fair and just man.

But in the camp lived another, a hunter who was jealous with the respect that the shaman had gained with the other people. Secretly, this hunter began to practice shamanism, after many months he had gained the power to shape shift too.

One evening when all were assembled for games, singing and contests, the evil hunter addressed the respected shaman.

"You are getting old shaman, and should be replaced." This was shouted over the din so all people could hear. The old shaman just smiled.

The evil hunter challenged the shaman to a contest, let us see this shape shifting ability of yours, perform for us. The shaman would not do so at first.

Finally, after being continuously harassed by the evil hunter the shaman agreed to a shapeshifting contest, no one knew that the evil hunter had gained the ability to change form.

The old shaman demonstrated his powers, first changing into a graceful bird, flying around the sky, then changing into a playful seal and finally, into a bear. All who were there clapped at this display of magic.

The evil hunter laughed and said, "Watch this."

He turned from sight and then turned back, before the assembly stood a man with a caribou head, so shocked was the man's wife and child, they dropped dead from fright. So grieved at what he did, the evil hunter forgot the magic words to transform back.



visit: Jim's Soapstone Carvings at http://www3.sympatico.ca/ve3jji

Origin of Ptarmigan (a grouse with completely feathered feet)

When the land was young, an old woman was known as a prankster. This was in the time when forms could be interchanged. Anyhow, the old woman would play tricks on all the people, much to their consternation but to the humour of all.

One day, the old woman decided to play a trick on a small group of children who were engrossed in their play. The prankster crept silently up behind and suddenly she loudly clapped her hands.

The children frightened beyond belief, immediately transformed into Ptarmigan and flew away. Because they were but children, they did not know how to transform back and so the race of ptarmigan was born.

visit: Jim's Soapstone Carvings at http://www3.sympatico.ca/ve3jji

Inuit Stories and legends

When time first began, it was believed by the Inuit who were the first people that all things, humans, animals, spirits, etc., could all talk one language and transform readily into various forms. Humans could become shaped like animals, animals to humans, etc. In many of the tales that grew from their culture, certain other species living in the Arctic are explained as coming into being in this manner.

Before the Inuit came in contact with what we refer to as church and state they had certainly developed their own meaning for family values, community, friendship, trust, safety, courage and fear, love and hate, care and respect for the elderly, good and evil, Arctic survival and so on. All these important things were passed on in stories as there was no written language then.

In reading these stories, which were told time and time again, hopefully we can begin to understand a tiny bit of the culture of these Arctic Nomads the Inuit, our friends and neighbours.

These are some of the samples that I have collected or been given. Please note that some tales may be somewhat different due to the various regions of the North they came from and of course the passing from person to person through time. Each time a tale is told it may change just a bit from grandmother to grandchild and over and over but the message or moral to be learned stays pretty well the same.

Enjoy and share them with others.


visit: Jim's Soapstone Carvings at http://www3.sympatico.ca/ve3jji

The Weasel and the Muskox

One time during one of the seasons, much starvation spread across the land, so much so that there was nothing to eat. A group of hungry foxes spying a big fat muskox turned to the wolf and said, "Please go kill the muskox so that all of us can eat and we will survive."

The wolf responded, "I am too weak and cannot kill such a big animal."

Suddenly a small voice piped up, it was the weasel who said, "If you wish, I will kill the muskox and there will be food for all."

All the animals laughed at him for how could such a small insignificant animal, such as a weasel, harvest a muskox when the mighty wolf could not.

The little weasel went off, sneaking and creeping around the muskox, then swift as a striking snake, the weasel dug into the muskox's behind and the muskox bled to death. The weasel became a hero to the other starving animals for with his cunning he saved the day.

Moral: Even the smallest can triumph.

The Lumack Legend

Once upon a time, lived a blind boy, his sister and an evil stepmother. The blind boy was strong and could hunt and provided much food to the stepmother. One spring day a bear attacked the hut, the stepmother yelled out for the boy to shoot the bear with his bow and arrow and so he did.

But the greedy stepmother wanted all the food for herself and the daughter and lied to the blind boy and cried out "Aiyyeee, you have shot our dog, our dog is no more, for this you will be punished."

The stepmother exiles the blind boy to another snow house, one that is old and smelly and is falling down. The blind boy knows he shot the bear for he heard the animal, much larger than a dog, fall dead. The stepmother keeps the bear and as the blind boy starves, she has much food. She only feeds him bits of walrus skin.

Seqineq, the boy's sister feels remorse, and so begins sneaking her blind brother food from the bear. He knows now that he has been cheated but can do nothing for he is blind.

As the weather warms, the blind boy makes his way down to the lake to think and while he is there a loon comes up and asks " Why are your eyes funny?"

The blind boy responds " I am blind and can not see. I see only darkness." The boy tells everything to the loon, about his stepmother, about his sister.

The loon calls over his loon friends and after much talking, the loon says to the boy, "We are loons and see far and wide, if you trust us, we will give you back your sight, for you have suffered much."

The loons take hold of the boy and begin to fly over the lake, suddenly diving with the boy in their grasps, he nearly drowns but does not tell them to stop for he trusts them. Suddenly he sees, for the water is so clear, it clears his eyes. The loons return him to shore. He can now see like a loon.

The boy returns to his hut that he was given, only to see, that there were much better ones that his stepmother could have given him. His was the worse. The next day, the evil stepmother comes to him and calls, "Come, we need more food, you must get us food or we will starve." But he sees that this is not true, for the stepmother is fat from bear.

The boy continues to act blind, and taking up his harpoon, he and his evil stepmother and his sister travel to the sea, where they spy two white whales. One small, one large. The blind boy turns to his stepmother and says "Tie the line around your waist and help brace when I harpoon the whale".

The evil stepmother is happy for she will eat whale soon, and thus she ties the rope around her waists and says, "There is a small whale ten feet away, harpoon it and we can eat, but do not miss like you did the bear". The evil stepmother plans to cheat him again from his share by saying it was not a whale but a small fish.

The boy, with all his might then flings his harpoon out, but not at the small white whale, but at the much larger one further out. His aim is true and the harpoon sinks deep, and as the whale thrashes and pulls out towards the sea, the boy who was once blind, steps aside, and his evil stepmother is dragged into the water.

The evil step mother changed then into the first narwhal with her plaited hair becoming the long spiral horn, as the stepmother is about to be pulled underwater, she mournfully cries out "lumack, lumack, lumack". Even today, out over the water, one can still hear her crying out as she is dragged around the seas.

The boy turns to his sister and says "Seqineq, I can now see and am I strong hunter, we will leave this place and seek our fortune with others far and wide."

And so the boy that was once blind and his sister begin their travels. Together, they wander the land, having many adventures until finally they find a group of families to stay with. All is good in the world, until one night, in the snow house, someone enters and has pleasure with Seqineq.

Thereafter, each and every night, someone enters the sister's snow house and makes pleasure with her. But it is too dark and she can not see who it is. In the morning as she glances around, no one looks at her.

Seqineq seeks counsel with one of the old women of the camp and explains what is happening for all men are married. The old woman says to Seqineq, "On this night, take the black from the kudlik (seal oil lamp) and rub it unto your face and body. When we know who does this, he will be punished." Seqineq does so.

That night, Seqeniq is once again visited in the dark and once again the man has his way with her.

Seqeniq arises and steps out in front of the camp, her body smudged and blackened, and looking across from her from the fire is her brother, he too is blackened and smudged. In horror of her find, she cuts off her breast and screams "If you are so fond of my body, there you can have it". She then grabs a torch and runs out. Jumping up realizing that he is about to be found out, the boy who once was blind begins to chase his sister, he too carries a torch.

Round and round the snow house they run, faster and faster, so fast do they run, that they begin to ascend into the very skies, but still they run faster until finally in one last desperate surge, she becomes the Sun and he becomes the Moon, Sila.



visit Jim's Soapstone Carvings at http://www3.sympatico.ca/ve3jji

Why There Are No Trees

One day as Kiviok traveled, he came upon a lake and as night was nearing, Kiviok made camp. Seeing how ice would form over the water, Kiviok decided to make a fire and so he took out his great axe and began to chop a tree for fuel.

As Kiviok chopped, a wood chip splashed into the water and a fish was born. The fish looking at Kiviok, mocked him and said he could see the sky as he looked up Kiviok's behind, for Kiviok was not much in substance.

Kiviok attempted to ignore the fish, but as more wood chips splashed into the water, they too became fish and mocked him even more.

Kiviok enraged began chopping everything, flying chips turned day to night while the sun was still up so much did Kiviok chop, and as each chip splashed into the lake, it turned into fish. Each different tree produced different kinds of fishes, from trout to char to grayling. Kiviok chopped and chopped when finally his rage abating, Kiviok looked around. Behold there were no more trees left, but all the lakes and seas were plentiful with fish.



visit Jim's Soapstone Carvings at http://www3.sympatico.ca/ve3jji

The Most Powerful Shaman

It is believed that shamans or angokoqs are made and not born with some inherent powers. To the Inuit, everyone is born equal but what you do during your life will determine your lot. It is believed that the spirit world looks down upon the people, and will see a potential shaman by the white light the breaks through the darkness of the nether world. The spirit will then approach the Inuit and ask to dwell within the warmth and the light, in exchange the spirit will endow the Inuit with the power that such a spirit can control. The greater the light, the more spirits will be attracted and so it will continue. This is what happened a long time ago when the land was new.

A shaman known as Kiviok allowed spirits his light and warmth, and so he was endowed with the powers, many spirits came and none but evil was turned away. So he became the most powerful shaman known and went on a great many adventures as he traveled the land.


visit Jim's Soapstone Carvings at http://www3.sympatico.ca/ve3jji

Kautyayuk

Once upon a time, a long time ago, a family was killed by bears, all that was left was a scrawny orphan who nobody wanted because he was small and was another mouth to feed. The orphan was called Kautyayuk.

Kautyayuk tried to become friends with the village people but they beat him. To keep warm, he slept with the sled dogs or inside the entrances to the camps of the people. To eat, he fought the dogs for scraps of meat. The village people would ridicule him and beat him for they did not want him around.

When he longed for human company, he would crawl inside the camp, both for warmth and to hear the people talk but if they noticed him they would beat him and haul him outside with their fingers hooked into his nostrils.

They would laugh and just throw scraps of walrus hide to him for food. Poor little Kautyayuk was always beaten and his nose now had big nostrils from always being pulled and thrown outside.

Finally, one night, the bears who killed Kautyayuk's family, came to the village. They could smell the cooking of food and were hungry because there were only a few seals to catch. "Give us food" shouted the bears. "We do not have enough to eat ourselves, for the caribou are gone and there are not many seals", cried back the people.

"Give us food or we will eat you" demanded the bears.

The people knew that the group of hungry bears would not stop until they had something to eat and they would attack soon killing all if no food was given, so the people who did not like Kautyayuk demanded that he go outside. They wanted him to be eaten instead of themselves.

Kautyayuk refused, but the people ganged up on him and whipped and beat him to the outside where the bears waited. The bears reared up, but a strange thing happened when Kautyayuk stood up to face his death.

The moonlight shone upon him and him alone, and he started to grow big and powerful. His clothes split and his muscles bulged so big did he grow. The bears attacked, but Kautyayuk was now strong for the Moon Spirit (Sila) empowered him.

Kautyayuk fights the bears who killed his family and he breaks them up like little twigs, Kautyayuk wins and the bears who wanted to eat him are dead.

Quickly the people rushed out, to get the meat for their houses but Kautyayuk said no so they attacked him with knifes but he killed them all but two old women.

"I have spared your lives, so that you will be abandoned and that you will know loneliness as you have taught me to know it" pronounced Kautyayuk. And so he left to travel the land, leaving behind two old women who pulled him by his nostrils and who beat him.



visit Jim's Soapstone Carvings at http://www3.sympatico.ca/ve3jji