An old man, angered by children playing near his seal hunt, cursed a mountain cleft to close, trapping the children inside. The girls, carrying infants, tried to soothe their cries of thirst, but the mothers’ efforts to provide water failed. Though the mothers could see the trapped children, they were unable to save them, leading to a tragic end as all perished from starvation.
Source:
Tales and Traditions of the Eskimo
by Henry Rink
[William Blackwood and Sons]
Edinburgh and London, 1875
► Themes of the story
Divine Punishment: The old man’s curse acts as a supernatural retribution, causing the mountain cleft to close and entomb the children.
Tragic Flaw: The old man’s inability to control his anger results in a hasty curse, leading to unintended and fatal consequences for the innocent children.
Loss and Renewal: The community experiences profound grief due to the loss of the children, prompting reflection on the repercussions of unchecked emotions and the importance of restraint.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about the Inuit peoples
From one of the older manuscripts.
An old man had taken up his position on the ice watching the breathing-holes of the seals, in order to spear them as they appeared. Meanwhile some little girls were playing on shore in a cleft between some rocks, as usual, carrying their little baby sisters and brothers in the amowts (hoods) at their backs. Just as the old man was in the act of spearing a seal, the children happened to give a shout, and the terrified seal at once dived to the bottom. On this the old man got into a great passion, and cried out aloud, “Shut up, mountain-cleft!” and accordingly it closed upon all the playing children, who were not able to escape, but were now buried in a cavern, wide at the bottom, and narrow towards the top.
► Continue reading…
The babies soon began to cry for thirst, and the girls put their fingers into their mouths to suck at, trying to hush them by telling them, “When mother has finished soling the boots, she will come and suckle thee.” At length the mothers came to the spot, and poured water down in the cleft. The water trickled along the walls, and they licked it up, and the mothers could very well see the children, but as it was impossible to get at them, all of them were starved.
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