Qautipalung’s daughter rejected a suitor for being too old, angering him. He warned she would turn to stone and left despite Qautipalung’s pleas. As the daughter chased his departing boat, her feet turned to stone, and she fell, becoming earth. Her spilled bag’s contents transformed into small auks, flying away with cries of tuu, tuu, tuu.
Source:
Tales of the Smith Sound Eskimo
by Alfred L. Kroeber
[The American Folklore Society]
Journal of American Folklore
Vol.12, No.46, pp.166-182
July-September, 1899
► Themes of the story
Transformation: The daughter’s metamorphosis into stone and earth, along with her bag’s contents turning into small auks, highlights themes of change and the supernatural.
Divine Punishment: The suitor’s curse leading to the daughter’s transformation serves as a consequence for her rejection, reflecting the theme of retribution from higher powers.
Mythical Creatures: The creation of small auks from the spilled bag introduces elements of mythical beings, emphasizing the rich tapestry of Inuit mythology.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about the Inuit peoples
There was a woman named Qautipalung, who had an unmarried daughter. One day some people came in a boat to get this daughter to be wife to one of them. But when the girl saw the suitor, she said to her mother, “He is much too old; don’t let him have me!” When the man heard that his suit was rejected, he said that he would go away, but that the girl would be turned to stone. Qautipalung now was frightened and asked him to stay, but he refused and went on his way. “The boat is going away,” Qautipalung said to her daughter, and the girl made herself ready to go out-doors. When she got out-doors the boat was already some distance away, and she began to run after it over the land to catch up with it.
► Continue reading…
But as she ran her feet turned to stone, so that she fell down on her face, and the rest of her body turned to earth. As she fell, the bag she had in her hand was spilled, and the contents, falling out, turned into small auks, that flew away, crying tuu, tuu, tuu.
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Dreamtime Whispers 