Traditional Stories of the Arctic and Subarctic Nations
TRADITIONAL STORIES OF THE ARCTIC AND SUBARCTIC NATIONS BY MARIE POWELL CONTENT CONSULTANT Ronald Brower Sr Iñupiaq Language Instructor University of Alaska Fairbanks Cover image Two Inuit throat singers pose wearing traditional clothing Core Library An Imprint of Abdo Publishing abdopublishing com NATIVE AMERICAN ORAL HISTORIES
CHAPTER ONE 4
STORIES AS MEMORY The northern lights glow above the many stories So do the people who winter landscape The polar ice holds have survived on this land for centuries The storyteller’s voice rises and falls These words have been spoken over and over again The storyteller may recount a memory from his or her life A hunter may tell the story of a whale hunt Or a tale might feature strange creatures powerful beings or people with great strength or abilities The stories of the Arctic and Subarctic Nations carry with them the traditions and beliefs of these cultures A sketch from a European artist shows how an Inuit storyteller performed in the 1800s
