Religion

COPPER INUIT RELIGIOUS PRACTICES:

Copper Inuit have an animistic spiritual system, which includes the belief that animal spirits can be offended through taboo violations. Inuit believed that dwarfs, giants, "caribou people", and the sea-goddess, Arnapkapfaaluk inhabit the world. The Inuit people do have however some concepts similar to that of other religions. For example the concept of tupilaa is similar to the Christian devil. Basically they believe that all things beings and energies have a spirit.

A central component of Inupiat religion is that the forces of nature are essentially malevolent. Inhabiting a ruthless climatological zone, the Inupiat believed that the spirits of the weather and of the animals must be placated to avoid harm. As a result, there is strict observance of various taboos as well as dances and ceremonies in honor of such spirits. These spirit entities found in nature included game animals in particular. Inupiat hunters, for example, always open the skull of a freshly killed animal to release its spirit. Personal spirit songs are essential among whale hunters. Much of this religious tradition is directed and passed on by shamans, both male and female. These shamans could call upon a //tuunsaq,// or helping spirit, in times of trouble or crisis. This spirit often took the shape of a land animal, into whose shape the shaman would change him or herself. Traditional Native religious practices, as well as the power of the shamans, decreased with the Inuit's increased contact with Europeans.

 THE ANGAKOK OR THE SHAMAN: Gods and spirits, many of them evil, ruled the nature, and the Inuit not only has to behave correctly but also to be able to interpret their mysterious ways to survive. A person who had this skill is dubbed the Angakok. Far from everyone had the gift of the becoming an Angakok, and if they it took years of training before he would become one. The Angakok is thought to have special abilities in relating to the Gods and spirits. They believed the Angkook had the power to influence events such as weather, food, and illnesses. The Angakok was therefore seen as possessing the abilities of curing the sick, controlling nature and predicting future events. When illness falls upon an Eskimo, it was viewed as one of two things. Either the illness has been caused by the loss of a soul or the intrusion of a foreign object (black magic in shape of a Tupilaq). Despite the cause, there was only one way to cure the illness and that was to seek the aid of a competent Angakok. To get in touch with the spiritual world the Angakok would have to go into a trance. Lying on the plank bed in the turf house with his hands and feet tied he would be able to free his spirit from the body. Then he would be able to let it fly through the air in search for the soul, do battles with tupilaq’s or communicate with the spirits of a deceased relative of the patient.

WORSHIP OF NATURE: The Inuit religion was a very complex nature worship. Everything had a soul and was spiritually connected. The universe was at harmony with its elements and the powers of nature possessed a neutral position towards man. When evil (bad hunting, bad weather or illness) happened, the source was most likely to be found in people’s bad behavior. The Inuit don’t have sacred buildings rather nature as a place itself was a scared place. The Inuit was a child of nature and worked to be able to live in harmony with nature. Man’s ability to do eveil represented a constant threat to harmony.

THE AFTERLIFE: The Inuit believe that life is eternal and that death was only a transformation from one world to another. When an Inuit dies he simply goes to the other side. This transformation didn’t happen instantly rather it is believed that it could take up to a year. The Inuit legend states that in order to complete this transformation the soul has to crawl under a giant skin carpet. This journey frees the body of juices, arriving on the other side two worlds appear and the one in the sky and the other a paradise of earth and water. Unlike some cultures there is no hell for the Inuit. The Inuit has not one but many souls. One for each part of the body, when a person became ill it was a sign that one or more souls had left the body and in order to be cured the souls had to be found and brought back to the body. Illness is considered a “small death.” In order to protect one’s self from illness and death all Inuit have several amulets. They are worn hidden in an amulet harness, hair ribbon or simply hidden on the person. One person alone could have 10 or more amulets on them. These “guardian angles” only hold power unless they are hidden from others. To lose an amulet is a true disaster.

HOLIDAYS:

Major feasts for the Inupiat took place in the winter and in spring. In December came the Messenger Feast held inside the community building. This //potlatch// feast demonstrated social status and wealth. A messenger would be sent to a neighboring community to invite it to be guests at a feast. Invitations were usually the result of a wish for continued or improved trading relations with the community in question. Gifts were exchanged at such feasts. Some southern groups also held Messenger Feasts in the fall. The spring whaling festival, or //nalukataq,// was held after the whale hunt as a thanksgiving for success and to ask for continued good fortune with next year's hunt. It was held also to appease the spirit of the killed whales. Similar to other Bladder Dances or Festivals of non-Alaskan Inuit groups, these ceremonies intended to set free the spirits of sea mammals killed during the year. At the nalukataq, a blanket toss would take place, in which members of the community were bounced high from a walrus-skin "trampoline." Another spring festival marked the coming of the sun. Dressed in costumes that were a mixture of male and female symbols to denote creation, the Inuit danced to welcome the sun's return.