The indigenous inhabitants of Alaska once known as Eskimos are part of the Inuit population, hardy hunters that originally lived in northern regions of the United States, Canada, Greenland, and Russia. Although their traditional way of life has been largely lost to more modern ways, the unwritten Eskimo legends and stories from earlier days were passed down through the years and now are being recorded by scholars.
The preferred term for this people group is Inuit, which means 'real people' in their language. American Indians who lived further south called them 'Eskimos', meaning 'raw meat eaters'. The tundra, a barren region that is covered with ice most of the year and where the soil remains frozen except for the top few inches even in summer, yields mainly meat for its inhabitants. Fuel for cooking is non-existent, except for animal fats.
Living is definitely not easy in the far north, even with modern conveniences like permanent housing, fuel oil heat, and motorized transportation. The ancient people risked their lives on a daily basis, hunting seals and the more formidable walrus, whale, and polar bear. They could be killed by an animal, starve during a long, cruel winter, drown on the treacherous seas, or suffer illness and old age and find it hard to get what they needed to sustain life.
Modern housing has replaced the igloos of former winters and the skin tents used during hunting season. Television now brings entertainment to long winter nights which used to be enlivened with stories of heroic and often fantastic figures. Even the stone houses of eastern settlements are things of the past.
The Inuit folklore shows that hunting was an all-important skill and that enough to eat was the greatest good that man could know. Like other hunting tribes, the Eskimos believed that success came from being in harmony with all living things. Animals were believed to have souls and to give their lives willingly to a reverent hunter. All of nature was filled with spirits (good and bad), with gods, with ghosts, and with fantastical monsters.
Supernatural elements are in all of these stories. Animals, who often are spirits in disguise, speak with men. The spirit-animals often help the heroes to overcome the odds. Some spirits are malevolent, and witchcraft features in some stories. Gods were believed to live in the sky and under the sea, while animals had souls. Offending the spirits was not a good idea.
The legends reflect the harsh conditions of life near the Arctic Circle. The extended family was the basis of society and the main form of security. Being an orphan was a vast misfortune, and survival of those bereft of family was uncertain. Many great heroes began life as despised and mistreated orphans, shunned or barely tolerated. Hunting, hunger, and eating play a large part in these stories. Origin tales tell of the beginnings of sun, moon, stars, animals, and humans. Not all spirits were benign, and witchcraft was practiced and feared.
Eskimo legends are more grim than poetic. There is not much similarity to the much embellished myths of Greece, Rome. Or the Norsemen. However, the human spirit triumphs in these tales in the same way.
The preferred term for this people group is Inuit, which means 'real people' in their language. American Indians who lived further south called them 'Eskimos', meaning 'raw meat eaters'. The tundra, a barren region that is covered with ice most of the year and where the soil remains frozen except for the top few inches even in summer, yields mainly meat for its inhabitants. Fuel for cooking is non-existent, except for animal fats.
Living is definitely not easy in the far north, even with modern conveniences like permanent housing, fuel oil heat, and motorized transportation. The ancient people risked their lives on a daily basis, hunting seals and the more formidable walrus, whale, and polar bear. They could be killed by an animal, starve during a long, cruel winter, drown on the treacherous seas, or suffer illness and old age and find it hard to get what they needed to sustain life.
Modern housing has replaced the igloos of former winters and the skin tents used during hunting season. Television now brings entertainment to long winter nights which used to be enlivened with stories of heroic and often fantastic figures. Even the stone houses of eastern settlements are things of the past.
The Inuit folklore shows that hunting was an all-important skill and that enough to eat was the greatest good that man could know. Like other hunting tribes, the Eskimos believed that success came from being in harmony with all living things. Animals were believed to have souls and to give their lives willingly to a reverent hunter. All of nature was filled with spirits (good and bad), with gods, with ghosts, and with fantastical monsters.
Supernatural elements are in all of these stories. Animals, who often are spirits in disguise, speak with men. The spirit-animals often help the heroes to overcome the odds. Some spirits are malevolent, and witchcraft features in some stories. Gods were believed to live in the sky and under the sea, while animals had souls. Offending the spirits was not a good idea.
The legends reflect the harsh conditions of life near the Arctic Circle. The extended family was the basis of society and the main form of security. Being an orphan was a vast misfortune, and survival of those bereft of family was uncertain. Many great heroes began life as despised and mistreated orphans, shunned or barely tolerated. Hunting, hunger, and eating play a large part in these stories. Origin tales tell of the beginnings of sun, moon, stars, animals, and humans. Not all spirits were benign, and witchcraft was practiced and feared.
Eskimo legends are more grim than poetic. There is not much similarity to the much embellished myths of Greece, Rome. Or the Norsemen. However, the human spirit triumphs in these tales in the same way.
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