Nukunguasik, a man without a wife, discovers a sinister plot on an unfamiliar island when he encounters a brother crafting a Tupilak, a magical creature instructed to kill him. Startled, Nukunguasik confronts the brother, who dies from fright. Later, Nukunguasik helps the remaining brothers find the body of their sibling, killed by the Tupilak. Afterward, Nukunguasik lives peacefully and dies years later.
Source:
Eskimo Folk-Tales
collected by Knud Rasmussen
[Copenhagen, Christiania], 1921
► Themes of the story
Supernatural Beings: The tale features a Tupilak, a magical creature brought to life through dark rituals, embodying the interaction with supernatural entities.
Cunning and Deception: Nukunguasik’s stealthy approach and unexpected confrontation with the brother highlight the use of wit to navigate dangerous situations.
Divine Punishment: The brother’s sudden death upon being discovered suggests a form of immediate retribution for his malevolent actions, reflecting the theme of divine or supernatural punishment.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about Inuit peoples
Nukunguasik, it is said, had land in a place with many brothers. When the brothers made a catch, they gave him meat for the pot; he himself had no wife.
One day he rowed northward in his kayak, and suddenly he took it into his head to row over to a big island which he had never visited before, and now wished to see.
He landed, and went up to look at the land, and it was very beautiful there.
► Continue reading…
And here he came upon the middle one of many brothers, busy with something or other down in a hollow, and whispering all the time. So he crawled stealthily towards him, and when he had come closer, he heard him whispering these words: “You are to bite Nukunguasik to death; you are to bite Nukunguasik to death.”
And then it was clear that he was making a Tupilak, and stood there now telling it what to do. But suddenly Nukunguasik slapped him on the side and said: “But where is this Nukunguasik?”
And the man was so frightened at this that he fell down dead.
And then Nukunguasik saw that the man had been letting the Tupilak sniff at his body. And the Tupilak was now alive, and lay there sniffing. But Nukunguasik, being afraid of the Tupilak, went away without trying to harm it.
Now he rowed home, and there the many brothers were waiting in vain for the middle one to return. At last the day dawned, and still he had not come. And daylight came, and then as they were preparing to go out in search of him, the eldest of them said to Nukunguasik: “Nukunguasik, come with us; we must search for him.”
And so Nukunguasik went with them, but as they found nothing, he said: “Would it not be well to go and make search over on that island, where no one ever goes?”
And having gone on to the island, Nukunguasik said: “Now you can go and look on the southern side.”
When the brothers reached the place, he heard them cry out, and the eldest said: “O wretched one! Why did you ever meddle with such a thing as this!”
And they could be heard weeping all together about the dead man.
And now Nukunguasik went up to them, and there lay the Tupilak, still alive, and nibbling at the body of the dead man. But the brothers buried him there, making a mound of stones above him. And then they went home.
Nukunguasik lived there as the oldest in the place, and died at last after many years.
Running and expanding this site requires resources: from maintaining our digital platform to sourcing and curating new content. With your help, we can grow our collection, improve accessibility, and bring these incredible narratives to an even wider audience. Your sponsorship enables us to keep the world’s stories alive and thriving. ♦ Visit our Support page
Dreamtime Whispers 