Mitiarjuk Nappaaluk - Sanaaq - An Inuit Novel

“We could get there by this small point of land,” said Qalingu.

“That’s right. Let’s go ai! ”

“OK!”

They walked out to the pack ice, which the ebbing waters had left fairly high and dry. In places, however, the sea was still partly open with cakes of floating ice. They crossed these cakes while talking.

“There are a lot of ice cakes,” said Qalingu, “and they’re separated from each other. Hope we don’t fall in!”

“I’m scared,” answered Jiimialuk. “I want to go back to dry land. I’m scared! I’m scared! There I go, I’m starting to fall into the water! I’m telling the truth. I want to go home!”

Qalingu smiled to hear such words from his companion, who really was very afraid. But Jiimialuk persisted in wanting to turn back and said, “Let’s go home!”

“Why?” retorted Qalingu. “We’ll get to the solid pack ice by steering the floating ice cake we’re on now!” He took the opportunity to lecture him. “Jiimialuk! You must always remember that you are a hunter and that at all times you will face danger and live through unpleasant moments. You should act in such a way that your loved ones will never suffer from hunger and you should think more about them than about yourself. You should never sit still and do nothing when an opportunity comes to provide for their needs, ai! ”

Jiimialuk complied. They began to steer the ice cake, a tiny floating slab, by rowing with their harpoons. They navigated their way to the pack ice, even though the slab tipped dangerously back and forth. Jiimialuk could no longer hold back his fear and panicked.

“I’m scared! I’m scared! We’re capsizing! I’m falling in! I’m telling the truth, the honest truth!”

“You really think so? You’re telling me the truth? What a fearful person you are!”

They finally made it to the solid pack ice and began walking on it to small stretches of open water. When they got to one, they several times saw puiji. Jiimialuk shouted, “ Ai! Look! A puiji! ”

But the animal would not let itself be easily approached and, after Jiimialuk whistled at it several times, it quickly slipped away. They soon saw another one, not at all shy, which began to swim in their direction upon seeing them. It even came quite close. Qalingu fired a bullet into the animal but failed to kill it.

“ Ii! I didn’t kill it! I just hit it. It’s lightly wounded… I’ll try to get to wherever it’s swimming to!”

He went to where his prey, pushed by the wind, would land. He stayed put, immobile, and waited. Then he fired once more but missed again, and the seal simply swam away. Although they saw many puiji, they failed to kill any. It was now late in the day, and they were both hungry.

Just then Jiimialuk again saw a puiji in a small stretch of open water. He whistled at it several times, and suddenly the seal headed toward him, coming very close. Jiimialuk grabbed his rifle, aimed, and fired. Tikkuu! He killed it. Being quite far from his companion, he started thinking, “ Aa! My stomach is just aching… As soon as the animal gets to the edge of the ice, I’ll eat it, for my stomach is really growling. I’m hungry for seal meat.”

He began shouting and waving to his faraway companion. “Come quick! I’ve killed a seal. It’s floating!”

Qalingu came hurrying over. When he arrived, he said, “I never did get the one I wounded! You really ought to be thanked for killing one that floats… But it doesn’t look like it’s coming to the edge… I’ll steer an ice cake over there and fetch it!”

“But it does look like it’s getting closer,” replied Jiimialuk.

“ Ai! Never mind, ai! We’ll try to catch it by tossing a weighted line.”

“It’s floated to the edge! I’ll get it,” said Jiimialuk.

The animal had indeed come closer but was stuck against a few small pieces of floating ice, and Jiimialuk was unable to grab hold. He nonetheless tried to reach it by stretching his arm further and further. Then he cried out, “ Ii! I’m falling in!”

Trying to grab his prey, Jiimialuk had fallen into the sea. Qalingu rushed over. He saw a Jiimialuk’s head poke out of the water, then disappear and, despite his efforts to look under the ice, saw nothing more… His companion had been swept under the ice by a strong current and was gone… Yet Jiimialuk’s seal was still afloat. Qalingu caught it. The one who had killed it had drowned, the very man who had said he would eat the seal…

Qalingu was now all alone on the ice, with night falling and his companion dead. He had to go home and Jiimialuk’s seal had to be dragged there. To do this, he tied a leather strap to one of its rear flippers as well as to its lower jaw, by means of a slipknot. He set off, obsessed by the memory of his drowned companion. He was very unhappy thinking about the man’s kinfolk, whom he would have to tell the news. The prospect filled him with some apprehension. He thought, “I’ll soon arrive alone… Our companions still think that Jiimialuk is out hunting… They’ll be very unhappy about Aqiarulaaq’s only son dying while still young… He was saying not long ago he was going to eat, not thinking that death was close at hand… He had no idea he was going to die…”

Qalingu stood still a long moment, as if in a daze, thinking, “And what about me, when will I die? I have no idea! And Jiimialuk, where has he gone? If he’s gone to kappianartuvik, it’d be because death had taken him unexpectedly, but if he’s been sent to quvianartuvik, he’ll already be very happy… And what about me, what will become of me? I too will die like him, even though it doesn’t seem like I’ll be dying soon… Death may take me by surprise the same way…”

Such were Qalingu’s thoughts as he plodded home. Even though he had not been instructed yet about Christianity, he could still ponder these matters.

Back home, their folks were hoping to see the two arrive soon. Night having fallen, nothing more could be seen. They listened keenly for the sound of footsteps. Arnatuinnaq, after going out to listen, entered the igloo of Aqiarulaaq, who asked her, “Have you heard anything yet?”

“No! I haven’t heard anything!”

It was a time of night when one trips while walking, for the moon had not yet appeared in the sky. It was a time of year when the moon was taking longer and longer to show itself. Arnatuinnaq, who had gone out again, heard a voice, crying from afar. As soon as she heard it, she ran inside and cried out, “Listen, there’s shouting from far away!”

All the members of Aqiarulaaq’s family went outside, that late autumn night, and heard the voice crying from afar. They did not understand the words because of the wind. Aqiarulaaq hurried over to the homes of her camp mates and shouted, “Sanaaq! We hear a voice! It sounds like the voice of someone in despair!”

They rushed out as the moon gradually rose over the horizon.

“ Ii! Listen!” said Sanaaq. “But what can he be saying? Arnatuinnaq! Go out to them, and take Maatiusi with you. Little Qumaq is asleep, so she can be left alone.”

The two went to meet the hunters. But Qalingu was alone. When they reached him, he told them, “ Ajurnamat! I’m by myself because my companion fell into the water. I couldn’t do anything to help because of a powerful sea current!”

“ Ai! ” said Arnatuinnaq.

Two of them got to work dragging the seal across the land-fast ice and arrived almost at the shore. Arnatuinnaq was trying her hardest.

“ Uuppaa! Uuppaa! … I’ve just stepped into a big hole!”

They finally arrived at camp and were joined by Aqiarulaaq’s and Sanaaq’s families, to whom they told the sad news about the death of Aqiarulaaq’s only son. When Aqiarulaaq learned the news straight from her brother Qalingu, she was horrified, for she would never even see her son’s remains. She went back to her home in tears. Once inside, she told her old man, “I’ve just learned about my son’s death. I was told the news of his death!”