THE SHAMAN AND THE RELATION BETWEEN NATURE AND HUMAN BEINGS

The shaman, angakkoq, was the link between the physical world and the spiritual world. In the spiritual world lived the Mother of the Sea and the Weather Being. 

When the shaman had to travel to the spiritual world, he used his drum. The rhythmical striking of the drum caused the shaman to go into a trance, and in this way he entered the spiritual world.

The shaman travelled to the spiritual world if the catch failed. He had to visit the Mother of the Sea in order to have her set the game animals free – they were entangled in her hair.

• How did the shaman travel from the physical world to the spiritual? 

• The Mother of the Sea and the Weather Being lived in the spiritual world. Find names of other beings who live in the spiritual world.

• Find other words for shaman. 

The Mother of the Sea was to Inuit a highly respected mythical creature. When the hunt at sea failed, it was thought that this was due to misdeeds committed by humans, and as punishment the Mother of the Sea held the game animals back in her matted hair.

The shaman had to go on a perilous spiritual journey to the bottom of the sea to apologize for the misdeeds of the humans and make the Mother of the Sea set the game animals free.

The legend of the Mother of the Sea ensured that people observed both society’s customs and the shaman’s precepts

What happens in the movie? The pictures may help you.

Write comments for the pictures, or record your story.

Inua is a term for that which animates everything, animals, plants stones, weather, and make them humanlike.

The weather inua is an unpredictable being that reacts if taboos and rituals are broken.

When a storm raged for a long time the hunters could not go hunting or fishing.

The shaman then had to travel to the spiritual world to find out which taboos or rites had been broken.

When he returned he told the humans which taboos and rites they had to observe.

• Baptism is a ritual. Do you know any other rituals?

• In the picture you see the accessories the shaman used to enter the spiritual world. What are they called? Find help at page 53.

  
  

In difficult times with bad catches, the Inuit turned to the settlement’s shaman, the angakkoq. The shaman was the link between the physical world and the spiritual world, where the Mother of the Sea and the Weather Being lived.

When the shaman had to travel to the spiritual world, he used his drum. The rhythmical striking of the drum caused the shaman to go into a trance, and in this way he entered the spiritual world.

If the catch failed, the most common purpose of the journey was to seek out the Mother of the Sea in order to have her set the game animals free.

• How did the shaman travel from the physical world to the spiritual? 

• The Mother of the Sea and the Weather Being lived in the spiritual world. Name other beings living in the spiritual world.

• In former times the belief in spirits and magic was a part of Inuit’s everyday life. Why does the belief in spiritual beings arise?

The Mother of the Sea was to Inuit a highly respected mythical creature. When the hunt at sea failed, it was thought that this was due to misdeeds committed by humans, and as punishment the Mother of the Sea held the game animals back in her matted hair.

The shaman had to go on a perilous spiritual journey to the bottom of the sea to apologize for the misdeeds of the humans and make the Mother of the Sea set the game animals free.

The legend of the Mother of the Sea ensured that people observed both society’s customs and the shaman’s precepts.

Write comments for the pictures, or record your story.

Inua is a term for that which animates everything, animals, plants, stones, weather, and make them humanlike.

The weather inua is an unpredictable being that reacts if taboos and rituals are broken. When a storm raged for a long time the hunters could not go hunting or fishing.

The shaman then had to travel to the spiritual world to find out which taboos or rites had been broken. When he returned he told the humans which taboos and rites they had to observe.

An example of a taboo that could be broken was that menstruating women had to live in a tent on their own, away from the settlement.

• Explain what the words taboo and ritual means. Give some examples of both.

• Why was the weather inua especially important to Inuit?

In difficult times for the settlement the shaman, called angakkok, was needed.

Angakkok could contact the spirits to find out what the problem was, and how the settlement could get through the crisis.

• What did angakkok use to travel to the spiritual world?

• Who should angakkok visit to have the game animals released?

• Why should angakkok go into a trance – and what does that mean?

When Inuit had committed misdeeds the Mother of the Sea punished them by holding the game animals back in her matted hair.

Angakkok then had to undertake a journey to have the animals released from the hair of the Mother of the Sea. 

• Why did the Mother of the Sea hold back the game animals?

• What story do the pictures at page 51 tell?

• What was the point of the legend of the Mother of the Sea?

If taboos and rituals were broken the Weather Being could cause bad weather, making hunting and fishing impossible.

Then angakkok had to undertake a spiritual journey to find out what taboos or rituals had been broken.

When angakkok returned, he brought with him to the settlement knowledge about how to observe taboos or rituals.

• What is Silap Inua?

• An example of a taboo is given in the book – and that is?

• In the picture you see a drum – and what else? (page 53 in the book)

In difficult times for the settlement the shaman, called angakkok, was needed.

Angakkok could contact the spirits to find out what the problem was, and how the settlement could get through the crisis.

When Inuit had committed misdeeds the Mother of the Sea punished them by holding the game animals back in her matted hair.

Angakkok then had to undertake a journey to have the animals released from the hair of the Mother of the Sea. 

• What misdeed did the humans commit in the video about the Mother of the Sea?

• What story do the pictures at page 51 tell?

• If a similar legend were to be made today, what could it be about?

If taboos and rituals were broken the Weather Being could cause bad weather, making hunting and fishing impossible.

Then angakkok had to undertake a spiritual journey to find out what taboos or rituals had been broken.

When angakkok returned, he brought with him to the settlement knowledge about how to observe taboos or rituals.

• Why was there a need for having both the legend of the Mother of the Sea and the legend of the Weather Being?

• An example of a taboo is given in the book – and that is?

• In the picture you see a drum – and what else? (page 53 in the book)