Caribou mother

Last updated

The Caribou Mother is an Inuit deity who represents the source of caribou, a vital food source for the Inuit. She is seen as gigantic, with people and caribou as lice on her enormous body. The Caribou mother is known as one of the oldest Inuit deities. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inuit religion</span> Spiritual beliefs and practices of the Inuit

Inuit religion is the shared spiritual beliefs and practices of the Inuit, an indigenous people from Alaska, northern Canada, parts of Siberia and Greenland. Their religion shares many similarities with some Alaska Native religions. Traditional Inuit religious practices include animism and shamanism, in which spiritual healers mediate with spirits. Today many Inuit follow Christianity, but traditional Inuit spirituality continues as part of a living, oral tradition and part of contemporary Inuit society. Inuit who balance indigenous and Christian theology practice religious syncretism.

In Inuit religion, Pinga is a goddess of the hunt and medicine. She is heavily associated with the sky.

In Inuit religion, Silap Inua or Silla is similar to mana or ether, the primary component of everything that exists; it is also the breath of life and the method of locomotion for any movement or change. Silla was believed to control everything that goes on in one's life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reindeer</span> Species of deer, also known as caribou

The reindeer or caribou is a species of deer with circumpolar distribution, native to Arctic, subarctic, tundra, boreal, and mountainous regions of Northern Europe, Siberia, and North America. This includes both sedentary and migratory populations. It is the only representative of the genus Rangifer. Herd size varies greatly in different geographic regions. More recent studies suggest the splitting of reindeer and caribou into six distinct species over their range.

The culture of Greenland has much in common with Greenlandic Inuit tradition, as the majority of people are descended from Inuit. Many people still go ice fishing and there are annual dog-sled races in which everyone with a team participates.

In Inuit religion, A'akuluujjusi is considered the great creator mother, a primordial goddess, by Inuit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thelon River</span> River in Northwest Territories, Canada

The Thelon River stretches 900 kilometres (560 mi) across northern Canada. Its source is Whitefish Lake in the Northwest Territories, and it flows east to Baker Lake in Nunavut. The Thelon ultimately drains into Hudson Bay at Chesterfield Inlet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caribou–Targhee National Forest</span> Protected area in the U.S. states of Wyoming, Idaho, and Utah

Caribou–Targhee National Forest is located in the states of Idaho and Wyoming, with a small section in Utah in the United States. The forest is broken into several separate sections and extends over 2.63 million acres (10,600 km2). To the east the forest borders Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park and Bridger–Teton National Forest. Most of the forest is a part of the 20-million-acre (81,000 km2) Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Migratory woodland caribou</span> Subspecies of deer

The migratory woodland caribou refers to two herds of Rangifer tarandus that are included in the migratory woodland ecotype of the subspecies Rangifer tarandus caribou or woodland caribou that live in Nunavik, Québec, and Labrador: the Leaf River caribou herd (LRCH) and the George River caribou herd (GRCH) south of Ungava Bay. Rangifer tarandus caribou is further divided into three ecotypes: the migratory barren-ground ecotype, the mountain ecotype or woodland (montane) and the forest-dwelling ecotype. According to researchers, the "George River herd which morphologically and genetically belong to the woodland caribou subspecies, at one time represented the largest caribou herd in the world and migrating thousands of kilometers from boreal forest to open tundra, where most females calve within a three-week period. This behaviour is more like barren-ground caribou subspecies." They argued that "understanding ecotype in relation to existing ecological constraints and releases may be more important than the taxonomic relationships between populations." The migratory George River caribou herd travel thousands of kilometres moving from wintering grounds to calving grounds near the Inuit hamlet of Kangiqsualujjuaq, Nunavik. In Nunavik and Labrador, the caribou population varies considerably with their numbers peaking in the later decades of each of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. In 1984, about 10,000 caribou of the George River herd drowned during their bi-annual crossing of the Caniapiscau River during the James Bay Hydro Project flooding operation. The most recent decline at the turn of the 20th century caused much hardship for the Inuit and Cree communities of Nunavik, who hunt them for subsistence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bathurst Inlet, Nunavut</span> Abandoned settlement in Nunavut, Canada

Bathurst Inlet,, is a small Inuit community located in Bathurst Inlet in the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut, Canada.

Caribou is one common name for the deer species Rangifer tarandus, also known as reindeer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Torngat Mountains National Park</span> National park in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Torngat Mountains National Park is a Canadian national park located on the Labrador Peninsula in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The park encompasses 9,700 km2 of mountainous terrain between Northern Quebec and the Labrador Sea. It is the largest national park in Atlantic Canada and the southernmost national park in the Arctic Cordillera. It contains the highest mountains in Mainland Canada east of the Rockies. The Torngat Mountains National Park was created to honour the relationship that Labrador and Nunavik Inuit have with the land. Parks Canada works with these groups in order to conserve the ecological integrity of the land, as well as to inform visitors of the park's history with the Inuit groups. The subarctic mountains are the Inuit homeland, a treasure trove of the powerful stories, spirits and traditions of centuries of travellers. The area in and around the park is governed by the Inuit people and it has been named "Nunatsiavut", translating to "our beautiful land" in their native language. The mountains are an important place for the Inuit people and have been known as the "place of spirits". An area called Torngat Mountains National Park Reserve was set aside with enactment of the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement on December 1, 2005, with the intention of creating a national park. When the Nunavik Inuit Land Claims Agreement came into effect on July 10, 2008, the park was officially established, and the National Park Reserve became Torngat Mountains National Park, the first in Labrador. In Torngat Mountains, there are diverse animal and plant species in ecological communities. Indigenous cultures are deeply connected to and dependent on caribou for their food resources and cultures. This park protects wildlife including: caribou, black bears, wolf packs, two species of fox, polar bears, peregrine falcon, and golden eagle among others. Four different climatic regions enable these different species to co-exist. As the temperature rises, the ice in this area shrinks and shrubs grow rapidly, affecting local residents, species and tourists. The park is open year-round and is accessible via charter air flight, cruise ship, or snowmobile. It offers wilderness-oriented recreational activities such as, hiking, scrambling, and kayaking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ennadai Lake</span> Lake in Nunavut, Canada

Ennadai Lake is a lake in the Kivalliq Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is 84 km (52 mi) long, and 4.8 to 22.5 km wide. It is drained to the north by the Kazan River. A 615 km (382 mi) section of the Kazan River from the outlet of Ennadai Lake to Baker Lake, was designated as a part of the Canadian Heritage Rivers System in 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reindeer hunting in Greenland</span> The practice of hunting reindeer for their meat, fur, and antlers in Greenland

Reindeer hunting in Greenland is of great importance to the Greenlandic Inuit and sports hunters, both residents and tourists. Reindeer (caribou) are an important source of meat, and harvesting them has always played an important role in the history, culture, and traditions of the Greenlandic Inuit. Controlled hunting is important for the welfare of reindeer, the quality of life for Inuit, both as food, and part of the their culture and Greenlandic culture in general, and the preservation of tundra grazing areas. Therefore, scientific research is regularly performed to determine the quotas needed to maintain a proper ecological balance.

The Ahiarmiut ᐃᓴᓪᒥᐅᑦ [ihalmiˈut] or Ihalmiut or are a group of inland Inuit who lived along the banks of the Kazan River, Ennadai Lake, and Little Dubawnt Lake, as well as north of Thlewiaza River, in northern Canada's Keewatin Region of the Northwest Territories, now the Kivalliq Region of present-day Nunavut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caribou Inuit</span> Ethnic group living in northern regions of Canada

Caribou Inuit, barren-ground caribou hunters, are Inuit who live west of Hudson Bay in Kivalliq Region, Nunavut, between 61° and 65° N and 90° and 102° W in Northern Canada. They were originally named "Caribou Eskimo" by the Danish Fifth Thule Expedition of 1921–1924 led by Knud Rasmussen. Caribou Inuit are the southernmost subgroup of the Central Inuit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inuit cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of the Inuit

Historically Inuit cuisine, which is taken here to include Greenlandic cuisine, Yup'ik cuisine and Aleut cuisine, consisted of a diet of animal source foods that were fished, hunted, and gathered locally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inuit clothing</span> Traditional clothing of the indigenous peoples of Arctic North America

Traditional Inuit clothing is a complex system of cold-weather garments historically made from animal hide and fur, worn by Inuit, a group of culturally related indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic areas of Canada, Greenland, and the United States. The basic outfit consisted of a parka, pants, mittens, inner footwear, and outer boots. The most common sources of hide were caribou, seals, and seabirds, although other animals were used when available. The production of warm, durable clothing was an essential survival skill which was passed down from women to girls, and which could take years to master. Preparation of clothing was an intensive, weeks-long process that occurred on a yearly cycle following established hunting seasons. The creation and use of skin clothing was strongly intertwined with Inuit religious beliefs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Inuit clothing</span> History of Inuit clothing

Archaeological evidence indicates that the history of Inuit clothing extends far back into prehistory, with significant evidence to indicate that the basic structure of Inuit clothing has changed little since. The clothing systems of all Arctic peoples are similar, and evidence in the form of tools and carved figurines indicates that these systems may have originated in Siberia as early as 22,000 BCE, and in northern Canada and Greenland as early as 2500 BCE. Pieces of garments found at archaeological sites, dated to approximately 1000 to 1600 CE, are very similar to garments from the 17th to mid-20th centuries, which confirms consistency in the construction of Inuit clothing over centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Research on Inuit clothing</span> History of research on Inuit clothing

There is a long historical tradition of research on Inuit clothing across many fields. Since Europeans first made contact with the Inuit in the 16th century, documentation and research on Inuit clothing has included artistic depictions, academic writing, studies of effectiveness, and museum collections. Historically, European images of Inuit were sourced from the clothing worn by Inuit who travelled to Europe, clothing brought to museums by explorers, and from written accounts of travels to the Arctic.

References

  1. Merkur, Daniel (1991). Powers which we do not know: the gods and spirits of the Inuit. Moscow, Idaho: University of Idaho Press. p. 676. ISBN   978-0-89301-148-2. OCLC   23016717.