Mitiarjuk Nappaaluk - Sanaaq - An Inuit Novel

The two of them started carrying the meat again. Suddenly the part that Aqiarulaaq had been hanging onto ripped away.

“ Iirq! My handle has ripped off ai! There it goes. My handle has ripped off!”

“ Ii! Autualu! Qatannguuk, did you get grease on you?”

The dogs were now assailing them and they tried to get into the tent.

“ Uai! Uai! Ii! ” exclaimed Sanaaq. “They’re biting into the meat we’ve been carrying, those dirty dogs! They’re really starving. Ii! That dog bit into the heart I was holding… Uai! Dirty no-good mutt!” Sanaaq grabbed a rock and threw it. “ Ii! Missed… My aim must have been off!”

They finally got in. The other two, Qalingu and Arnatuinnaq, were together carrying a shoulder and the adjoining head. They had left behind the other shoulder, a haunch, the two ringed seals, the skin of the utjuk, and the viscera. Those remaining pieces were being guarded by Qumaq on the shore.

Before leaving her, Qalingu had said to Qumaq, “Don’t stop throwing stones at those dirty dogs ai! ”

“I won’t!”

Now left to herself, she was beginning to feel very afraid. She yelled, “ Uai! Dirty no-good dogs!”

Qumaq had some stones in her hands to throw at the dogs but was very afraid. “ Iaa iaa a a a! ”

The poor girl started to cry, letting her guard down. Immediately, the dogs descended on what she had been guarding. They fought amongst themselves and devoured almost whole the haunch and shoulder they had torn off. Qumaq wailed, “Mother! Come!”

Her mother saw her trembling with fright and came running right away. She was now by her side and showering her daughter with affection.

“ Umm! Cry no more, my poor little child… Aalummi! ”

Qalingu also came running to chase the plunderers away. He pitched some stones and the dogs he hit ran off yelping, “ Maa maa! ” The pillage was over. The shredded pieces of meat no longer mattered much to Qalingu.

“There’s no point in guarding those two pieces of utjuk anymore. They’ve been bitten into all over!”

He began to drag the utjuk skin to a stone cache. After stashing it away in the cache, he went home and started eating some boiled chunks of meat for his arrival meal. He dipped them in misiraq.

The women, meanwhile, were making preparations for a kujapiit feast. On the ground they stretched a mangittaq on which they laid the kujapiit as well as the utjuk heart and some pieces of blubber. Sanaaq shouted to her camp mates, “Come and get some kujapiit! ”

“Yes!” agreed Aqiarulaaq, adding, “but where’s my ulu?”

“Behind your oil lamp,” replied Jiimialuk.

“There it is!” she said. “I’m going to get my ulu too and join in the feast!”

When she entered the tent, Sanaaq said, “Ai! Come and eat some kujapiit. Ai! Qatannguuk! ”

“Go ahead!” she replied.

Aqiarulaaq tried to cut one of them off, slicing away at the tendons holding them together. This was no easy job, as she admitted good-naturedly. “I’m a big liar because I can’t cut through these joints… Ia ia ia! ” she laughed.

She began to eat, holding a kujapik with blubber in one hand and her ulu in the other. As she ate, Aqiarulaaq talked about her plans.

“By the way, I’m planning to visit Ningiukuluk tomorrow to adopt her daughter, the middle one… Ningiukuluk once told me in so many words that I could have her… I’ll go tomorrow. We’ll both go, my old man and I.”

“If you’re going,” replied Arnatuinnaq, “I’ll go too… And I’ll sew something to the soles of my boots. I might wear holes through both of them, while we’re walking tomorrow… Qumaq and I will follow if it doesn’t rain… Little niece! I’ll get what you’ll need for your trip tomorrow. We’ll take something to carry you on my back with and a strap to hold you in place.”

She was busy sewing patches to her soles and heels… She was soon done. As dusk darkened the sky, large snowflakes started to come down. The freshly fallen snow was wet. Arnatuinnaq exclaimed, “It’s snowing big snowflakes and here I was planning to go on a visit tomorrow… Our things are too close to the side of the tent. They’re going to get ruined!”

Night had fallen. They undressed for bed and, knowing they had to leave early the next day, went to sleep.

They awoke with the rising sun, had some tea, and prepared to leave. Aqiarulaaq came in and said, “ Qatannguuk ai! I’m going to look for a girl to adopt and I’m not coming back empty-handed.”

“Good for you!” said Sanaaq. “You’re lucky she was promised to you!”

They set off, all three of them. A few dogs tagged along, the same ones. On the way they saw some ukpiit. A male and its mate came very close… One of the two sank its claws into a dog while letting out a shriek.

“ Au! ”

It swooped down on the women several times. They were terrified, not having even a rifle. Seeing it prepare to dive again, they flipped their hoods over their heads… Arnatuinnaq tried her best to hit it with a stone but missed. Qumaq clung to her aunt’s skirt for dear life, so much so that she ripped it off.

“Qumaq!” exclaimed Arnatuinnaq. “You’ve made a big rip in my skirt by hanging on so tightly! It’s torn to pieces now and we’re almost at our hosts’ place!”

Just then, the two snowy owls dive-bombed the dogs again. One even stripped some fur off one of them. The Inuit started walking again to get away from the owls. As they walked, Arnatuinnaq said to Aqiarulaaq, “Look at the rip that Qumaq made. When one of the owls went after us, she clung to me for protection, even though I too was very afraid…”

They came within sight of Ningiukuluk’s home. The oldest of Ningiukuluk’s daughters spotted them and cried out, “Over there I can see people coming. They’ve got a child with them. It’s probably Qumaq!”

“ Ai! ” shouted back Ningiukuluk.

“They’re close. They’re arriving. They’re coming in.”

Aqiarulaaq entered first and said, “We’re paying a visit, Ningiukuluk! Ai! Let’s shake hands!”

“ Ai! You’ve just got here? Let’s shake hands! Qumaq! And your mother?”

“She’s at home!”

All three of her daughters were eager to play with Qumaq. There was Akutsiaq, the oldest, Aanikallak, the younger one, and Tajarak, the youngest.

“Let’s play, Qumaq!” exclaimed Aanikallak.

But no sooner had her daughter spoken than Ningiukuluk broke in, “First have something to eat!”

“Have some of this ai! Qumaq!” said Aanikallak. “Over there, eat some mattaq. Use the knife!”

“Sure!”

Aqiarulaaq spoke again. “Ningiukuluk! I wish to talk to you. I’ve come on this visit to adopt one of your daughters, Aanikallak, because I really want to have her… I don’t have a daughter of my own.”

“ Ai! On the one hand, I’d rather not give her away. On the other, I’m not so fond of her because she often wets her bed and I’m ashamed of her.”

“I truly wish to have her. Some time ago you sort of promised her to me. So now I’m insisting. I want her to help me out, Ningiukuluk!”

“I no longer really care for her, but the other ones, her two sisters, I certainly can’t give them away… Go ahead! Take her!”

Aqiarulaaq started recounting the latest news. “We saw some Big Eyebrows arrive. They’ve even begun to build a home for themselves on our land… That’s all I have to say for now. We’re going back this very day… Aanikallak! I’ve adopted you, so you’ll be following us!”