Mitiarjuk Nappaaluk - Sanaaq - An Inuit Novel

“Makes sense,” said Taqriasuk, “but I haven’t finished the base yet.”

“I’ll go for some tea, too,” said Irsutualuk. “I’m really thirsty!”

They went to join their wives, at home minding the tents. Qumaq, who was often darting in and out, spotted them. “ Aa! My ataataksaq is coming! I’ll go meet him!”

She ran to him and Qalingu called to her, “Are you coming to meet me? Watch out for the dogs!”

Qalingu walked into the tent. Arnatuinnaq was trying to light the stove. She added some fuel, which she ignited after spitting a mouthful of oil onto it. She then started to heat some tea. Qalingu was eating half-frozen meat that he had taken from the aki. Dipping it in rancid seal oil that tasted a bit piquant, he exclaimed, “This misiraq is really good. It’s got a fairly sharp taste because it’s rancid. Iirq! We’ll soon be able to start moving!”

When he had finished eating, he said, “Hand towel!”

Sanaaq poured him some tea, saying, “The bannock to be used for our moving-out meal is completely frozen. Arnatuinnaq! You’ll make bannock while I go and pack the snow by trampling it.”

“Yes!” said Arnatuinnaq.

Qalingu left again for his igloo under construction. For use as a stepladder, he took along the case that he usually kept his camp stove in.

Arnatuinnaq was getting ready to make bannock. “Flour!” she called out. “And also baking powder!” After adding baking powder, she scooped out a hole in the middle of the flour and spat oil into it. The cold, however, had congealed the oil, making it painful to sink her teeth into. Even her mouth felt the freezing pain. “ Aatataa! ” she shrieked. “My mouth has been burned by the cold!”

After spitting the oil, she went for salt water on the foreshore and told Qumaq, “Qumaq ai! Mind the tent for a moment. I’m going to get a dipper-full of salt water!” She went to fetch some water and began to draw it. “ Ii! It’s full of kinguit. Nothing but scuds!”

Qumaq was calling for her, and weeping. “Come! Hurry! A a a! ”

Arnatuinnaq came, bringing not only salt water but also qiqruat because she felt like eating. Now home, she laughed and poked fun at Qumaq.

“Qumaq ai! iii! Have you been crying again?”

“It’s because you were taking so long to come!” answered Qumaq.

Arnatuinnaq was hard at work making dough. She used an ulu to cut a piece of blubber from the aki. She crushed it with her teeth and spat the oil out. Qumaq, who was beside her, took the remaining bits of blubber and, in turn, tried to extract oil from them with her teeth. But in the process she completely stained her manu with oil. Arnatuinnaq shouted at her, “ Ii! Qumaq! Don’t spit oil. You’re dribbling a lot of it away. Your manu is all stained with oil now!”

When Arnatuinnaq had finished spitting oil, she poured a little salt water into the flour and kneaded her dough. She said, “Bring me a bit more flour. I’ve put in too much water!”

As soon as the flour was added, she kneaded the dough and made it consistent. She then adjusted the flame of the oil lamp with a tarquti cut from a dwarf willow branch. She started to bake the bannock for their moving-out meal. She turned it over and flattened it several times.

Now, back to the igloo builders. The domes were almost done. With the top of her igloo almost completed, Sanaaq, who was on the outside, shouted, “I can no longer reach the top! To plug the holes I’ll have to climb up on top!” She tried to clamber on top. “ Ii! I’m slipping… I’m scared!”

On the inside, Qalingu had now finished building the dome. He installed the igliti and built the aki with snow blocks. He next made an opening in the kilu. Sanaaq could now get in to trample and pack the snow while Qalingu brought in the snow blocks needed inside. Sanaaq cut them into thin slices with her knife. From the outside, Qalingu shouted towards the interior, “Is it packed?”

“Just about! It’s almost ready!” answered Sanaaq.

Qalingu crawled in and helped her flatten the sleeping platform’s surface properly. The two of them packed the snow with their feet. Finally, when it was well packed, they crawled out and Qalingu plugged the opening with a snow block. They headed back to their tent, to prepare for the move.

“The wind’s blowing the powder snow, up there on the hilltop!” said Sanaaq. “Good thing we’re ready to move into the igloo!”

They both arrived home. Qalingu told Qumaq, “Qumaq ai! We’re going to move. The igloo is finished!”

And so they busied themselves with moving. Sanaaq and Arnatuinnaq, the two women of the family, would put the belongings into bags. Sanaaq said, “Arnatuinnaq! Let’s get all the stuff together. Just roll the fur bedspreads up and bag any odds and ends you find around the bed.”

They filled the bags while Qalingu took the full ones out and loaded them onto the sled. Arnatuinnaq hurried to get everything packed. She would say, “ Uuppaa! Uuppaa! ” while filling a bag and stuffing it with all her might. Because the door remained open for Qalingu to take the baggage out, the dogs came in and rooted around everywhere. Sanaaq shouted, “ Uit! Pack of good-for-nothings! A piece of wood to hit them with! Those bums! They’ve invaded our tent!”

She hit one dog and it began to whimper, “ Maa maa! ” Qumaq, for her part, was very happy to be in the midst of these preparations. She put on her mittens and a scarf while singing softly, “ Taka taka taka! I’m so happy! Mother, let’s go riding off on the sled!”

“Yes, we’re going to leave!” said Sanaaq.

When all the pieces of baggage had been taken out, Sanaaq and Qalingu lashed them solidly with leather straps to the sled while Arnatuinnaq went to harness the dogs. “ Hau! Hau! Hau! ” she called to them. They came running to be harnessed. Arnatuinnaq slid each dog’s head through the neck of a harness, and its forelegs through the shoulder straps. She then slipped the loops of their tuglines onto the nuvviti. They were now set to go. Qalingu ordered a rightward turn by shouting, “ Uit uit! Auk! ” When all the dogs had fully stretched their lines, Qalingu rearranged the ones that were poorly placed, and the dog team was on its way and soon pushing ahead at a good speed. Sanaaq and Qumaq were on foot. Sanaaq told her daughter, “Daughter! Let’s walk hand in hand.”

“Yes, yes, yes, Mother! Give me your hand!”

They kept walking and soon arrived at their future snow house. Meanwhile, the dog team was climbing uphill slowly, with the help of Arnatuinnaq, who pulled on the nuvviti. Sanaaq turned around, walking back to the dog team and calling her dog, “ Hau Hau! Kajualuk! Hau! ”

Qalingu pushed the sled to the igloo. They could now move in. Arnatuinnaq, Sanaaq, and Qumaq crawled into the igloo through the kilu opening and Qalingu handed them the pieces of baggage. Arnatuinnaq took them while Sanaaq set them down inside. On the sleeping platform she laid the dwarf-birch mats and fur mattresses, leaving the fur bedspreads in their bags. Now that he had finished bringing everything in, Qalingu closed the kilu opening completely. He said, “I’m plugging it because I’m going to make an entranceway.”

“Plug it!” replied Sanaaq.

She now began to install the paugusiit. With a knife, she made a hole in the wall of the igloo and said, “Pass me something to hit with. Something I can use as a hammer. Even a simple piece of wood.”