Mitiarjuk Nappaaluk - Sanaaq - An Inuit Novel

He then noticed an ajuqirtuiji who also looked like a very kind man and who invited Qalingu to follow him to his cabin. He did, and there the minister offered him a book, without saying what it was… Qalingu took it back with him, thinking it to be nothing important, that is, he was told nothing about the book and was taught nothing, so he clearly had no idea what it was. Nonetheless, the ajuqirtuiji did tell him what he thought of the iksigarjuaq.

“You must not listen at all to people like him, for they are big liars! They will come and move into your camp!”

Because of this warning, Qalingu remained very reserved when the Catholic missionaries came and moved into the camp. He helped them only grudgingly, for fear of being tricked. Qumaq, her mother, and their family stayed on the dry land. The iksigarjuaq disembarked and went to Qumaq and her family. He shook many hands and smiled broadly at Qumaq and her little brother. But Qumaq was reserved.

“ Ia-a! ” she said shyly, her little brother too.

Qalingu left the big boat and went ashore. He took back a large bag of gifts for his family. Qumaq came to meet him. Her little brother tried to come too, but he still had trouble walking. Qumaq was growing up to be a big girl. Qalingu gave his son and Qumaq some oranges and then went home, carrying his son on his shoulders and taking Qumaq by the hand.

Sanaaq said to her husband, “Look at that! You were given presents for your family?!”

“Yes!” said Qalingu.

He hurriedly returned to the Qallunaat, who gave him many gifts. He was even short of containers to put them in. They treated him well, for it was their first meeting. In exchange for a sealskin and a few small objects, he was offered cloth for a pair of pants. Coming back to his family, he said, “We won’t let Qumaq go to the iksigarjuaq because he’s a liar. That’s what the ajuqirtuiji told me!”

“What do you mean?” said Sanaaq, very astonished. “Why? Just listen to that! We now have to be afraid of being tricked!”

The next day, Qumaq very much wanted to go and visit the iksigarjuaq, but Sanaaq tried to stop her. Qumaq was on the verge of crying. No one could change her mind, and finally she was allowed to go, accompanied by Arnatuinnaq. Qumaq was very happy. When they arrived, the man picked her up in his arms. With Arnatuinnaq, she played billiards. Qumaq was even given a short catechism lesson and no longer wanted to leave. She and Arnatuinnaq nonetheless headed home. On arriving, Arnatuinnaq said to Sanaaq, “He’s very kind and really puts you at ease!”

“But why did the ajuqirtuiji call him a liar?” said Sanaaq and Qalingu. “Is he one himself?”

“He probably didn’t tell the truth,” answered Arnatuinnaq. “The iksigaarjuaq carried Qumaq in his arms and even began to teach her what’s good and what’s bad. That’s how she was treated! The other man probably didn’t tell the truth!”

Arnatuinnaq wished to follow the Catholic faith, but had not yet said so. “I want to join their faith,” she often thought to herself.

In truth, she still had to talk it over with her family… She was afraid, though, of being prevented from doing so by Sanaaq, her older sister, and by Qalingu. She was scared that her family would give her a hard time. The thought made her very ill at ease.

“Never mind ai! Since I’m afraid of no longer being well treated, it’s not possible for me now…”

Meanwhile Qumaq was thinking, “It’d be better if I followed the iksigarjuaq, even if I have to face the opposition of my kinfolk. It doesn’t matter… Can’t be helped… As for my body, it will die, and then where will I go? What does my body matter!”

She was eager. Aanikallak shared the same ideas, but she felt helpless because her mother forbade her from following the iksigarjuaq. Qumaq, whose mother was still making some effort to hold her back, stuck to her choice. Aanikallak too persevered, despite strong opposition.

Arnatuinnaq, Qumaq, and Aanikallak all wished to convert. Qumaq was very keen. Arnatuinnaq was afraid and self-conscious. She made obstacles out of anything for herself. As soon as someone talked to her, she immediately began to have doubts, just as Maatiusi did. Qumaq was very happy and said, “I’m going to follow this faith because I think about it continually!”

She strove to push herself whenever she felt like lazing around. She developed a habit of working fervently and, though she had other occupations, began to pray more. Anything became a motive for her to think about her family. She had found a way to be happy now.

Qumaq was growing up. Today, she was going to do the laundry with Akutsiaq. She gathered everything to be washed and put it into a bag, saying, “Mother! We’re going to wash, I and Akutsiak… Give me some soap!”

Akutsiaq and Aanikallak, who were still little girls, accompanied her and took along some little things to be washed. Qumaq had a heavy load and chatted on the way.

“Tomorrow ai! We’ll go fishing on the foreshore, at the far end of the cove!”

“We’ll go ai! ” said Akutsiaq.

“I won’t go,” said Aanikallak. “I have bad boots that let in water and are in very bad shape!”

“It’s because you’re lazy!” said Qumaq. “You don’t take care of them!”

“Oh! I’m going to tell my mother!”

“Don’t!” answered Qumaq, who wanted to be forgiven and was looking for a way out. “Don’t do that! Here, I’ll give you this bar of soap… Tomorrow, we’ll have fun making a little tent ai! Aanikallak! Here ai! Take the soap… It’s real soap!”

“That Aanikallak is really a tattletale,” said Akutsiaq. “She even tells things that aren’t true!”

Once they had arrived, they began to wash in the river. Qumaq was fast and had already gone through a lot of laundry when her two much slower companions were still at the beginning of theirs. Aanikallak washed very poorly and left some parts dirty. She was ridiculed a second time by Akutsiaq.

“ Autualu! Look, Qumaq! That’s been really badly washed. It’s still dirty here and there!”

Aanikallak, predictably, again began to sulk. She glared at her companions and started to cry. She called out, “I’m going to tell my mother you’ve been very mean to me!”

“ Ii! ” shouted Qumaq suddenly. “That old jacket over there is being carried off by the current!”

Akutsiaq jumped to her feet and began running. She ran after what was being carried away by the river, saying, “ Irq! I’ve got to grab it fast, when that stone stops it!”

She managed to grab what the current had snatched away before it got to the waterfall. She then washed the laundry that Qumaq had brought. Once they had finished, they wrung the laundry and laid it to dry on the ground. Qumaq stretched out a large atigi for it to drip-dry. Unable to wring it with her hands, she let it drain on a rock. They stayed a long while.

Meanwhile Aanikallak had gone to tell her mother.

“Mother! Qumaq and Akutsiaq are always being mean to me!”

When her mother heard that, she said, “ Suvakkualuk! My daughter has been badly treated. I’m going to find those two rascals who think so highly of themselves!” She believed her daughter, who had not told the truth. She indeed went ahead and scolded them. “Why have the two of you been picking on my adopted daughter? You wicked tormentors!”

“She didn’t tell the truth!” answered Akutsiaq. “We simply told her that she hadn’t been washing properly! We just treated her as being clumsy… We don’t have any bad feelings against her!”