Facing starvation, the Eskimo were desperate for survival. The greatest Tungaksoak prophesied the arrival of light-haired, white-skinned people in a massive umiak. He sent two puppies adrift on objects; one returned with Indians. Years later, a strange vessel brought the prophesied people. A man, once a puppy, announced their arrival before transforming back into a dog, fulfilling the prophecy.
Source:
Ethnology of the Ungava District,
Hudson Bay Territory
by Lucien M. Turner
[Smithsonian Institution]
Bureau of American Ethnology
Eleventh Annual Report, 1889-1890
Washington, 1894
► Themes of the story
Prophecy and Fate: The tale centers on a prophecy by the Tungaksoak, foretelling the arrival of white-skinned people who would bring salvation to the starving community.
Divine Intervention: The transformation of puppies into messengers and the fulfillment of the prophecy suggest a supernatural influence guiding the events to ensure the community’s survival.
Cultural Heroes: The Tungaksoak, as a spiritual leader, plays a pivotal role in guiding and protecting the community through his prophetic vision, embodying the qualities of a cultural hero.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about Inuit peoples
The Eskimo were on the verge of starvation and had eaten nearly all their food. They saw that in a few more days death would come. The greatest Tungaksoak or great Tungak determined to bring relief and prophesied that people having light hair and white skins would come in an immense umiak. He placed a young puppy on a chip and another on an old sealskin boot, and set them adrift on the water. The puppies drifted in different directions, and in the course of time the one on the chip returned and brought with it the Indians. A long time after that, when the people had nearly forgotten the other puppy, a strange white object like an iceberg came directly toward the shore. In a few moments the puppy, now a man, announced that the people had come with many curious things in their vessel. The man immediately became a dog.
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Dreamtime Whispers 