At the heart of many Eskimo stories is a simple yet reoccurring theme, the struggle to survive in a very harsh environment. The Canadian Arctic is a desperately cold and unforgiving place to live. It is amazing that people are able to survive there and establish homes. Despite the many generations to live on the ice, disaster is always close at hand.
The unbelievably harsh environment is what has created the Inuit legends. The belief system of these ancient people is really quite unique. There is nothing to compare with it anywhere else. Probably the most striking difference is that there are no gods, deities or rulers. This reflects the democratic nature of life in the arctic. In many cases the struggle to survive takes priority over everything else and there is not time to worry about who should be the leader.
The Inuit are painfully aware that even a short run of bad luck could easily wipe out a family or community. With this constantly on their minds they are very careful to observe many rituals and avoid bringing about the anger of the spirits. Both good and bad spirits are thought to inhabit the world and in some cases people can be possessed.
The spirits or Anirniit are an integral part of life. A spirit can be good or evil, it may try to help humans or it may try to hinder and trick them. People must be on the look out for spirits all the time and avoid situations that may provoke them or bring bad luck to the settlement. Bad luck is more serious in a small community that is barely able to survive. It can be the difference between life and death.
Spirits play a big part in any Inuit story. They are felt to be just as real as living humans. The spirits or, Anirniit, are the soul of a person or animal. They could be kind or evil, some were helpful to people, whilst others tried to do the humans harm or even kill them. Even more interesting is that the spirits could possess a person and take over their live. This in turn would bring all kinds of calamities down on the family.
Although many of the Inuit have now adopted Christianity as their official religion, many still believe in the old ways. In fact it might be fairer to say that they have adapted the Christian beliefs to fit in with their traditional ways. There is still a strong belief in spirits, known as Anirniit.
Although many modern Inuit people have made Christianity their official religion they still turn to the old ways. It may be fairer to say that they have adapted Christianity to fit in with their traditional beliefs and ways. They still keep to the old rituals and taboos.
It is probably this unique and brutal approach that gives Eskimo stories their incredible power. Audiences are left stunned by the depth of the human spirit and the struggle to survive. It shows only too clearly how life can come to an unexpected and abrupt ending. The Inuit belief system is at first glance primitive, yet underneath there is an incredible amount of feeling and emotion.
The unbelievably harsh environment is what has created the Inuit legends. The belief system of these ancient people is really quite unique. There is nothing to compare with it anywhere else. Probably the most striking difference is that there are no gods, deities or rulers. This reflects the democratic nature of life in the arctic. In many cases the struggle to survive takes priority over everything else and there is not time to worry about who should be the leader.
The Inuit are painfully aware that even a short run of bad luck could easily wipe out a family or community. With this constantly on their minds they are very careful to observe many rituals and avoid bringing about the anger of the spirits. Both good and bad spirits are thought to inhabit the world and in some cases people can be possessed.
The spirits or Anirniit are an integral part of life. A spirit can be good or evil, it may try to help humans or it may try to hinder and trick them. People must be on the look out for spirits all the time and avoid situations that may provoke them or bring bad luck to the settlement. Bad luck is more serious in a small community that is barely able to survive. It can be the difference between life and death.
Spirits play a big part in any Inuit story. They are felt to be just as real as living humans. The spirits or, Anirniit, are the soul of a person or animal. They could be kind or evil, some were helpful to people, whilst others tried to do the humans harm or even kill them. Even more interesting is that the spirits could possess a person and take over their live. This in turn would bring all kinds of calamities down on the family.
Although many of the Inuit have now adopted Christianity as their official religion, many still believe in the old ways. In fact it might be fairer to say that they have adapted the Christian beliefs to fit in with their traditional ways. There is still a strong belief in spirits, known as Anirniit.
Although many modern Inuit people have made Christianity their official religion they still turn to the old ways. It may be fairer to say that they have adapted Christianity to fit in with their traditional beliefs and ways. They still keep to the old rituals and taboos.
It is probably this unique and brutal approach that gives Eskimo stories their incredible power. Audiences are left stunned by the depth of the human spirit and the struggle to survive. It shows only too clearly how life can come to an unexpected and abrupt ending. The Inuit belief system is at first glance primitive, yet underneath there is an incredible amount of feeling and emotion.
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