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KiviuqAn Inuit Hero and His Siberian Cousins |
eBook Available
Northern elders illuminate the heart of Arctic life through stories of Kiviuq, the eternal Inuit wanderer.
How do shape-shifting shamans, a giant cannibalistic bumblebee, and human marriage with animals speak to Canadian Inuit and Siberian indigenous peoples today? How can artists present ancient legend in live performance and film with sensitivity to the source? Why are long multi-layered stories essential for adults and children in an age of commercial television?
After decades exploring Siberian cultures, Kira Van Deusen turned to the Canadian north to ask many such questions, looking at them through the versions of one of their most respected legends - that of hero/shaman Kiviuq, an Inuit counterpart to Homer's Odysseus - told by forty Inuit elders. The elders' voices engage us directly, inviting us to look at the unique qualities of arctic heroism and its application to present-day concerns. Rich details from each of the elders' families help explain interpersonal challenges to survival in the north and offer both practical and spiritual lessons. Van Deusen also points out intriguing cultural connections across the Bering Strait, past and present.
The first in-depth book on Inuit oral literature to appear in English in nearly a century, Kiviuq is a must-read for those interested in northern cultures, shamanism, oral storytelling, and cultural change.
After decades exploring Siberian cultures, Kira Van Deusen turned to the Canadian north to ask many such questions, looking at them through the versions of one of their most respected legends - that of hero/shaman Kiviuq, an Inuit counterpart to Homer's Odysseus - told by forty Inuit elders. The elders' voices engage us directly, inviting us to look at the unique qualities of arctic heroism and its application to present-day concerns. Rich details from each of the elders' families help explain interpersonal challenges to survival in the north and offer both practical and spiritual lessons. Van Deusen also points out intriguing cultural connections across the Bering Strait, past and present.
The first in-depth book on Inuit oral literature to appear in English in nearly a century, Kiviuq is a must-read for those interested in northern cultures, shamanism, oral storytelling, and cultural change.
Details
Part of the McGill-Queen's Indigenous and Northern Studies (number 54 in series)
408 Pages, 6 x 9
30 b&w photos
ISBN 9780773535008
March 2009
Formats: Cloth, Paperback, eBook
"Missionaries forbade their converts any mention of the pre-Christian hero 'Kiviuq,' so each Inuit elder had to consider carefully before agreeing to speak out. Ms. Van Deusen brought to Nunavut the combination of respect and curiosity that had previously won her such powerful stories from Siberian aboriginal elders. If you read between the lines, this ancient story provides a key to human survival on earth." John Houston, filmmaker
"A compelling project of the kind that only this author could have written - a creative and deeply human approach to a subject that invites a wide-range of reflections on oral and literary genres, native history and cultural change." Bruce Grant, anthropology, New York University
"Van Deusen takes the reader on a journey into Inuit culture and from there across the Bering Straits into Sakha (Yakutiya) in Siberia, showing in deeply compelling ways how stories travel across cultures. I was enthralled."" Adele Barker, Russian and Slavic Studies, University of Arizona
"It is a true delight to see Van Deusen venture into the presentation and analysis of this important and neglected Inuit narrative. For too long scholars have avoided the close reading of Indigenous stories, where there is so much for Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike to learn." Christopher G. Trott, University of Manitoba, The Canadian Journal of Native Studies
"A compelling project of the kind that only this author could have written - a creative and deeply human approach to a subject that invites a wide-range of reflections on oral and literary genres, native history and cultural change." Bruce Grant, anthropology, New York University
"Van Deusen takes the reader on a journey into Inuit culture and from there across the Bering Straits into Sakha (Yakutiya) in Siberia, showing in deeply compelling ways how stories travel across cultures. I was enthralled."" Adele Barker, Russian and Slavic Studies, University of Arizona
"It is a true delight to see Van Deusen venture into the presentation and analysis of this important and neglected Inuit narrative. For too long scholars have avoided the close reading of Indigenous stories, where there is so much for Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike to learn." Christopher G. Trott, University of Manitoba, The Canadian Journal of Native Studies
Kira Van Deusen is a storyteller and musician who has done extensive research on the oral traditions of Siberian indigenous peoples and the Canadian Inuit. Her previous books include Singing Story, Healing Drum: Shamans and Storytellers of Turkic Siberia and The Flying Tiger: Women Shamans and Storytellers of the Amur.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments | ix
Maps | xii
Introduction | 3
Kiviuq’s Life Story | 18
Journey to Nunavut, 2004 | 43
Seal, Tuutalik, Storm at Sea | 63
Seal Cousins | 98
Bee Woman and Other Adventures | 114
Bee Cousins | 146
Wolf Women, Tiny Spiders, and Homecoming | 157
Wolf Cousins | 183
The Penis in the Lake | 202
Lake Cousins | 224
The Fox-Wife | 234
Fox Cousins | 258
The Grizzly Bear | 265
Grizzly Cousins | 279
The Goose-Wife | 287
Goose Cousins | 311
Conclusion | 327
Comments from Nunavut Elders | 349
Glossary | 355
Folklore Motifs | 361
Notes | 367
Bibliography | 381
Index | 389
Acknowledgments | ix
Maps | xii
Introduction | 3
Kiviuq’s Life Story | 18
Journey to Nunavut, 2004 | 43
Seal, Tuutalik, Storm at Sea | 63
Seal Cousins | 98
Bee Woman and Other Adventures | 114
Bee Cousins | 146
Wolf Women, Tiny Spiders, and Homecoming | 157
Wolf Cousins | 183
The Penis in the Lake | 202
Lake Cousins | 224
The Fox-Wife | 234
Fox Cousins | 258
The Grizzly Bear | 265
Grizzly Cousins | 279
The Goose-Wife | 287
Goose Cousins | 311
Conclusion | 327
Comments from Nunavut Elders | 349
Glossary | 355
Folklore Motifs | 361
Notes | 367
Bibliography | 381
Index | 389
9780228005681
$115.00 CAD
Cloth
9780773518377
$37.95 CAD
Paperback
