Igimarasugdjuqdjuaq was a monstrous man known for murder and cannibalism. After killing his sister-in-law, he terrified his wife into fleeing. She deceived him by crafting a decoy, escaping to a nearby village. When Igimarasugdjuqdjuaq pursued her, the villagers protected her and later avenged his crimes. Using cunning, they lured him into exposing his spear and struck him down, ending his reign of terror.
Source:
The Central Eskimo
by Franz Boas
[Bureau of American Ethnology]
Sixth Annual Report
Washington, 1888
► Themes of the story
Trickster: His wife employs cunning to escape, creating a decoy to deceive him.
Revenge and Justice: The villagers avenge his crimes by orchestrating his demise.
Supernatural Beings: Igimarasugdjuqdjuaq’s monstrous nature aligns with encounters involving formidable entities.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about Inuit peoples
Igimarasugdjuqdjuaq was a very huge and bad man, who had committed many murders and eaten the victims after he had cut them up with his knife. Once upon a time his sister-in-law came to visit his wife, but scarcely had she entered the hut before Igimarasugdjuqdjuaq killed her and commanded his wife to cook her. His wife was very much frightened, fearing that she herself would be the next victim, and resolved to make her escape. When Igimarasugdjuqdjuaq had left to go hunting she gathered heather, stuffed her jacket with it, and placed the figure in a sitting position upon the bed. Then she ran away as fast as she could and succeeded in reaching a village.
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When her husband came home and saw the jacket he believed that it was a stranger who had come to visit him and stabbed him through the body. When he discovered, however, that his wife had deceived and left him, he fell into a passion and pursued her.
He came to the village and said: “Have you seen my wife? She has run away.” The Inuit did not tell him that she was staying with them, but concealed her from his wrath. At last Igimarasugdjuqdjuaq gave her up for lost and returned home.
The Inuit, however, resolved to revenge the many outrages which he had wrought upon them. They went to visit him and met him on the ice just below the hut. When he told them he was going bear hunting they said: “Let us see your spear.” This spear had a stout and sharp walrus tusk for a point. “Ah,” said they, “that is good for bear hunting; how sharp it is. You must hit him just this way.” And so saying they struck his brow, the point of the spear entering his brain, and then cut the body up with their knives.
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