Reading Notes: Eskimo Folk-Tales (Reading B)

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Papik, Who Killed His Wife’s Brother: 

• Papik often hunted with his wife’s brother 
• Her brother typically caught a seal while Papik was usually empty-handed when he returned 
• One day Ailaq did not return with Papik 
• One day when Papik set off to hunt he was attacked by an evil spirit that was Ailaq’s mother who swore vengeance on Papik 
• Now people say that when someone kills another without a reason, a monster will come and kill them 

Pâtussorssuaq, Who Killed His Uncle: 

• There was a woman who was very beautiful and she was married to Alátaq. 
• The nephew of Alátaq was Pâtussorssuaq
• One day Alátaq decided he was leaving and taking his wife but when he told Pâtussorssuaq, Pâtussorssuaq was so upset he killed his uncle because he didn’t want to see the woman go 
• Pâtussorssuaq wanted to kill his wife as well but found she had fled from him like his uncle’s wife 
• He took his uncle’s wife and lived with her but soon after she died 
• One day a fox struck her coat and he tried to swat it away 
• The fox was the spirit of the uncle Pâtussorssuaq killed 
• Soon after Pâtussorssuaq was killed by a bear with the spirit of his uncle 

The Wife Who Lied: 

• Navaránâpaluk grew up in a family of man-eaters 
• She tricked her old tribe into going to war with her husband's tribe 
• The tribe returned home to see almost all the women killed so they prepared to attack Navaránâpaluk’s tribe 
• They killed all the men in the tribe and took new wives. 
• Two chose Navaránâpaluk and they cut her arms off and she died 

Atdlarneq, The Great Glutton: 

• Atdlarneq was a strong man who never failed when hunting 
• One day when he was out hunting he saw a house
• He waited to see if someone came out of it 
• He kept waiting and watching women walk out of the home 
• After three women left he went into the house and they all received him kindly 
• The women told him their master would soon be home so Atdlarneq hid
• They kept giving him food and making him eat it even though he was stuffed 
• After he left he nearly gorged himself to death so he never went back again  

Tungujuluk and Saunikoq: 

• Tungujuluk and Saunikoq were wizards and turned into a bear and a walrus 
• Tungujuluk had a son 
• Tungujuluk almost killed Saunikoq because he was disguised as a bear who was scaring his son 
• Tungujuluk got even with Saunikoq by taking his blaster float when he was a walrus 
• Saunikoq sailed away the next day and was never seen again 

Kánagssuaq:

• Kánagssuaq lived on a little island with his wife 
• He went out hunting and killed a small fjord seal 
• He always brought home food when he went hunting 
• He helped a man who could not make a tow-line and one day the man was able to repay him with a piece of bearskin 

Story source: Eskimo Folk-Tales by Knud Rasmussen with illustrations by native Eskimo artists (1921).