Monday, March 20, 2017

Reading Notes: Eskimo Folk Tales Unit, Part A

The Coming of Men, A Long, Long While Ago:
-two old women held the power and whatever they spoke was what happened
-back in this day there was no light/sun and no death
-the two women were talking and thought it would be better if the world was not so crowded so they sent a flood
-thus death was introduced
-the two women wanted to see all the creation and thought that it would be better for the world to bask in warm sunshine
-thus light was introduced
-shows the respect given to women in this tribe

Nukúnguasik, who Escaped from the Tupilak:
-several brothers all lived together on an island
-they each had their own role to contribute to the family
-Nukunguasik was the youngest brother who had been sick as a baby and always got the easiest of jobs
-not much was ever expected of him and he lived a pretty carefree life while the others worked
-the middle brother resented him for this and plotted to kill him
-he went to visit the sorcerer on the another island to make an evil monster to kill his younger brother
-it ended up backfiring and killing him instead
-Nukunguasik never told his other brothers the truth when he finally discovered what really happened





The Insects That Wooed a Wifeless Man:
-a man who was plagued with misfortune and perpetual sleepiness
-he never had success at hunting like all the other men in his village so no one wanted to marry him
-one day he went out to the water to fish and helped out a mysterious stranger in need
-the stranger turned out to be a magic man who said he would make his troubles go away because he had helped him
-the only condition was that he could never speak of who gave him these hunting powers
-he later became the leader of the village and married 
-but then lost it all when he could no longer keep the secret inside



Bibliography:

Eskimo Folk Tales by Knud Rasmussen

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