Pudlo Pudlat - Artist/Elder 1916-1992 (b. between Cape Dorset

& Lake Harbour - site of a summer camp)

"Sometimes I would leave the camp in the afternoon. I would hunt early the next day, at a spot where I felt would hunt early the next day, at a spot where I felt an animal would be. an animal would be. SometimesSometimes I had only water to I had only water to drink. I had no food until I was successful at drink. I had no food until I was successful at hunting. Most times I was right about where the hunting. Most times I was right about where the animal was.animal was. I would feel very proud to take food back to the camp, to provide for not only my family, but others, too….It was a good feeling.”

I was raised by older parents, so I heard a I was raised by older parents, so I heard a lot of stories from them. I know many lot of stories from them. I know many stories. I had a father-in-law one time stories. I had a father-in-law one time who was a shaman, his name was who was a shaman, his name was Alagook. The shamans were having a Alagook. The shamans were having a meeting to go tell the family they found meeting to go tell the family they found a frozen man. They asked my father-in-a frozen man. They asked my father-in-law to take the man to his family. That law to take the man to his family. That man was frozen, but a spirit was moving man was frozen, but a spirit was moving through that frozen body, and there through that frozen body, and there would be movement here and there in would be movement here and there in whatever part of his body, and finally whatever part of his body, and finally the person who was frozen spoke, the person who was frozen spoke, revived by the spirit."revived by the spirit."

Tikitu Kenojuak 1908 - 1991 b. Salibury Island • I remember the first time I went out (hunting) by I remember the first time I went out (hunting) by

myself to stay overnight. It was late summer and myself to stay overnight. It was late summer and starting to get cold. It soon got dark, so I lay starting to get cold. It soon got dark, so I lay down on a small patch of plants and covered down on a small patch of plants and covered myself with these plants. I wasn't even scared. I myself with these plants. I wasn't even scared. I was awakened by the cry of a fox, and daylight was awakened by the cry of a fox, and daylight was already beginning to come. I was very was already beginning to come. I was very pleased that I had slept the whole night on the pleased that I had slept the whole night on the land....land.....I didn't have a father to learn things .I didn't have a father to learn things from, so two elders from the camp taught me from, so two elders from the camp taught me how to make hunting equipment.....how to make hunting equipment.....The Inuit The Inuit way is to speak to people when they come to way is to speak to people when they come to listen. We only give advice when asked. That is listen. We only give advice when asked. That is why we as elders find it hard to speak out to the why we as elders find it hard to speak out to the young people. They no longer come to us.”young people. They no longer come to us.” " "

“The Bear”

by Galway Kinnell

In late winter

I sometimes glimpse bits of steamsteam

coming up from

some fault in the old snow

and bend close and see it is lung-coloredlung-colored

and put down my nose

and know

the chilly, enduring odor of bear

I take a wolf’s rib and whittleit sharp at both endsand coil it upand freeze it in blubber and place it outon the fairway of the bears.

And when it has vanishedI move out on bear tracks,roaming in circlesuntil I come to the first, tentative dark on the earth.splash

And I set out And I set out running, following the running, following the

splashessplashesof blood wandering over the of blood wandering over the

world.world.At the cut gashed resting At the cut gashed resting

placesplacesI stop and rest,I stop and rest,at the crawl marksat the crawl markswhere he lay out on his bellywhere he lay out on his bellyto overpass some stretch of to overpass some stretch of

bauchy icebauchy iceI lie outI lie outdragging myself forward with dragging myself forward with

bear-knives in my fistsbear-knives in my fists..

On the third day I begin to starve,

at nightfall I bend down as I knew I would

at a turd sopped in

and hesitate, and pick it up,

and thrust it in my mouth, and gnash it down,

and rise

and go on running.

blood,blood,

On the seventh day,On the seventh day,

living by now on bear living by now on bear blood alone,blood alone,

I can see his upturned I can see his upturned carcass far out carcass far out ahead, a scraggled,ahead, a scraggled,

steamy hulk,steamy hulk,

the heavy fur riffling in the heavy fur riffling in the wind.the wind.

I come up to himand stare at the narrow-spaced petty eyes, the dismayed face laid back on the shoulder, the nostrilsflared, catching perhaps the first taint of me as hedied.

I hackhacka ravine in his thigh, and eat and drink,a ravine in his thigh, and eat and drink,and tear him down his whole lengthand tear him down his whole lengthand open him and climb inand open him and climb inand close him up after me, against the wind,and close him up after me, against the wind,and sleep.and sleep.

And dream And dream of lumbering flatfootedof lumbering flatfootedover the tundra,over the tundra,stabbed twice from within,stabbed twice from within,

splattering a trail from within mesplattering a trail from within me,,

splattering it out no matter which way I splattering it out no matter which way I lurchlurch

no matter whno matter whiichch parabola of bear- transcendence,

which dance of solitude I attempt,which gravity-clutched leap,which trudge, which groan.

Until one day I totter and fall--Until one day I totter and fall--fall on thisfall on thisstomach that has tried so hard to keep up,stomach that has tried so hard to keep up,to digest the to digest the bloodblood as it leaked in, as it leaked in,to break up and digest the bone itself: and to break up and digest the bone itself: and now the breezenow the breezeblows over me, blows offblows over me, blows offthe hideous belches of the hideous belches of iill-digestedll-digested bear bear bloodbloodand rotted stomachand rotted stomachand the ordinary, wretched and the ordinary, wretched odor ofodor of bear,bear,

blows acrossmy sore, lolled tongue a songor screech, until I think I must rise upand dance. And I lie still

I awaken I think. Marshlightsreappear, geesecome trailing up the flyway.

In her ravine under old In her ravine under old snow the dam-bearsnow the dam-bear

lies licking lumps of lies licking lumps of smeared fursmeared fur

and drizzly eyes into and drizzly eyes into shapesshapes

with her tongue. And with her tongue. And oneone

hairy-soled trudge struck out before me,

the next groaned out,

the next

the next

the rest of my days I spend wandering: wonderingwandering: wondering

what, anyway,what, anyway,

was that stickywas that sticky infusion,infusion, that rank flavor of blood, that that rank flavor of blood, that poetry by which I lived?poetry by which I lived?

“Sometimes I would leave the camp in the afternoon. I would would hunt early the next hunt early the next day, at a spot where I day, at a spot where I felt an animal would felt an animal would be. Sometimes I had be. Sometimes I had only water to drink. I only water to drink. I had no food until I was had no food until I was successful at hunting. successful at hunting. Most times I was right Most times I was right about where the animal about where the animal was.was.”

“I would feel very proud to take food back to the camp, to provide for not only my family, but others, too….It was a good feeling.”

• Hunt• Ritual• Myth• Poetry• Literature

What was … that What was … that poetry poetry by which by which I lived?I lived?”

• WinterWinter• IsolationIsolation• SeekerSeeker

• SpringSpring• CommunityCommunity• What was What was soughtsought

MetamMetamorphosisorphosis

Acknowledgements

• Arctic Portraits: Jerry Riley. The Arctic Portfolio & Gallery, Portraits and Landscapes - Images from Baffin Island, Northwest Territories, Canada (Eastern Arctic). The Cape Dorset Studio, 1990. http://www.colourlab.com/arctic.htm