Manik, a skilled seal-hunter, resisted marriage until he abruptly decided to leave home. He abducted the chief hunter’s daughter and other women from villages to form a rowing crew. After wintering in the far north and encountering supernatural events, he returned home the next year, restoring the women to their families—except for the first, whom he made his wife.
Source:
Tales and Traditions of the Eskimo
by Henry Rink
[William Blackwood and Sons]
Edinburgh and London, 1875
► Themes of the story
Conflict with Authority: Manik’s actions in taking the chief hunter’s daughter and other women against their will represent a clear defiance of social and familial authority. His choices disrupt the established order, leading to tension and a struggle to restore balance within the community.
Supernatural Beings: As Manik ventures further into the northern lands, he encounters ghosts and witnesses magical feats. These supernatural elements reflect the Inuit belief in spirits and the spiritual dimensions of their world, adding depth to the story and emphasizing the mystery of the unknown.
Rebirth: The tale concludes with Manik returning the women to their families and integrating the first woman into his own life. This act symbolizes a renewal of social order and relationships, embodying the theme of rebirth through the restoration of balance and harmony after a period of upheaval.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about the Inuit peoples
Abridged version of the story.
Manik was a great seal-hunter, but his mother in vain urged him to take a wife. He continued a bachelor, till one day he suddenly ordered his mother to make ready the boat for removing from the place. As soon as she had made all ready, he hastened up to the house of the chief hunter, who at the time was absent, and carried away his daughter, crying and struggling in vain to be released. Having placed her on the boat he at once pushed off, and made for the north with all speed. At the first inhabited place they came past he again carried away a woman; and this continued until he had got a complete boat’s crew of rowing girls. He continued his voyage the whole season, till at length, having reached the far north, the frost set in, and for the time obliged him to take up his quarters there.
► Continue reading…
While wintering here, and making excursions into the country, he once came to a solitary house, where he had an adventurous meeting with the ghost of a deceased woman; and from there he came to another, where he found the people feasting upon various meats, which they kept hauling from the ground by help of magic lays. The next year he set out for his own country, returning to their relatives all the women, excepting only the first one, whom he kept for his wife.
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Dreamtime Whispers 