The strange phenomenon of “lightning in the ice.”
The author observes a very strange occurrence and learns from elders about the power of the moon.
GHOSTLY CARIBOU AND PHANTOM DOGS
Ethereal sightings when travelling on the land.
As the sun sets, a fiery column of light forms and reaches skyward. Then, a full moon appears to rise out of the sea, like a great paper lantern floating heavenward.
The author experiences “kayak sickness,” a disorientation so extreme that he did not know up from down or where he was upon the sea. An elder talks about dangerous act of gathering clams below the ice in springtime.
Arctic phenomena such as ice blinks, ground drift, sundogs, diamond dust, and a time when the air appears to be filled with glittering ice crystals.
Majuriaq Ashoona talks about the woman’s role in Inuit traditional society.
Ikkuma Parr and a small group of women share their stories of camp life, arranged marriages, the status of women, traditional remedies, and the worst things that could happen to a woman in camp.
Osuitok Ipeelie talks about the difference between what he believed to be true and what he knew to be true, and offers a story about a cannibal witch.
WHERE THE SUN DANCES AND THE EARTH SHIMMERS
Springtime in the southwest Baffin region, and the land awakens from a deep sleep.
Osuitok Ipeelie discusses different types of dreams, some based on what one knows to be real, others that give a glimpse of the future.
Osuitok Ipeelie on the five states of mind beyond dreaming.
There was a time when Inuit believed in the existence of helpful and evil tuurngait (spirits) who were called upon by shamans to perform all manner of tasks.
PLACE OF POWER, OBJECTS OF VENERATION
On the metaphysical landscape of the Eastern Arctic — places where life was renewed, strict customs observed, and celebrations staged.
The difference between woking in the field and living on the land.
An elder from Kugluktuk (Coppermine) shares stories about charms: ones that attract good luck, allow the owner to perform superhuman feats, or offer a glimpse of the future.
The elder from Kugluktuk (Coppermine) continues his stories about a deadly snowman made by a shaman. Such an effigy could be used by the shaman to capture the spirit of the person destined to be either harmed or killed.
On the powers of real shamans.
The tale of the young girl who was taken as a wife by the evil spirit Inurluk who transformed her into an inunnguaq, a stone figure in the likeness of a human.
The elder Ottochie speaking of desperation and pain of starvation, and the measures taken to stay alive.
Two tales of a mysterious fire, the disappearance of an old man, and an evil female shaman.
LOVE, LIFE, DEATH, AND IMMORTALITY
A story about a woman who fell in love with an ijiraq, a spirit in the form of a caribou. A tale encompassing love, death, cannibalism, rebirth, and immortality.
Armand Tagoona, the first ordained Anglican deacon in the eastern Arctic, explains how his traditional beliefs were affected when he become a minister of the Christian faith.
On a solo trip to Mallik, the author has an odd dream in which he is warned by a woman never to return. The author would later be told that he was visited in his dream by the much-loved shaman Aliguq.
Deciding to follow Christian beliefs yet saddened at the same time, a woman and her companions seek peace by making an offering to Sedna, who lived at the bottom of the sea.
INCANTATIONS, CURSES, AND THE POWER OF WORDS
The author learns about incantations that attract animals, calm storms, offer protection against evil spirits, and give thanks for a safe journey or successful hunt.
The author met Issuhungituk Pootoogook during his first visit to Cape Dorset. The two built a strong bond, spending hours together at the kitchen table talking about all manner of things.
QIATSUQ AND THE IMAGINED WINDOW
Issuhungituk shares the story of her father, Qiatsuq, a shaman and artist who depicted traditional life on the land and scenes of violence and killings.
An elder talks about the rituals and understanding of death.