Title: Inuit
Course: REL 201 RTZ > Section: Week 3 - Native American Religions

The great expanse of Canada can be thought of as a rugged, cold and inhabitable region.  However, it has been occupied for thousands of years by many cultures. The Inuits are residents in the artic of Canada.  The Artic is large, over 500,000 square miles, has 36,000+ islands.

The Inuit were amenable to living in these rugged conditions since they were one of the last groups to enter North America.  Due to the harsh climate of the artic the Inuits were not able to reside in one location and take up farming.  The residents were forced to be migrants and roam the artic following food and better weather.  If a culture is always moving for food and survival how are they able to practice a religion without buildings and perhaps time for rituals?

Nine categories of religion:

Belief Systems

The Inuit’s are an animistic (believe that spirits inhabit everything) and polytheistic culture.  They believe that spirits reside either in the spirit world or they can inhabit the human world in inanimate and animate objects.

Spirits could earn the status of being a god or goddess. One of the most popular spirits is Sedna, the Sea Goddess.  She would be quite powerful being that the Inuit’s are surrounded by three oceans!  Sedna resides at the bottom of the sea controlling marine life.  Sila is the weather god often manifesting as wind.  Sila was a reincarnated spirit.

Inuits believe that their souls are at risk of being stolen or lost an all means had to be taken to protect their souls.

Community

The Inuit community is complex and very structured.  The Inuit hold the family has the highest social unit in their culture. Therefore, Inuit communities include the family unit that resides with up to ten other family units that will create the large winter communities that would live and hunt together.  Everything would be considered communal property amongst these ‘family units’.

Central Myths

Inuit’s had many myths explaining creation, events and reasons for things happening in the human world.

These myths created a relationship between the humans, spirits and deities.  These myths are retold through the various rituals and ceremonies led by the Shaman.

Rituals

Rituals are led by Shamans, religious and spiritual leaders.  Shamans are the only ones who can control the spirits and the spirit world.  They are in contact and have the power to communicate with the spirit world.  The Shamans are able to determine what the spirits need to be appeased to provide them with food, shelter and good weather.

Shamans preformed rituals that included the use of charms and dancing to communicate with the spirit world.

The Inuit’s have rituals that are for proper ways of hunting and how to eat food.  Respect was given to the prey in order to appease the spirits to return in the form of another sacrificial animal to be eaten by the Inuits.

Material Expression

Inuit’s harness the sacred powers of the spirits in everyday objects from clothing, artwork, and food to animate objects such as caribou and whales.  All items are sacred and must be treated with respect.

Emotional Experience

The spirits mostly reside in the spirit world; however, spirits permeate the human world and create constant interactions with the Inuit.  These interactions can create emotions of fear, dread or pain if the spirits are unhappy.  Likewise, if the spirits are happy and appease then the humans are rewarded with good, happiness and good health.

Symbols

The most common symbols used the Inuit are:

1. Masks – Would be inhabited by spirits and would portray images seen by the Shaman during his trances
2. Rattles – which were used to summon the spirits

Ethics

Being an animistic culture everything is sacred and must be treated with respect. Proper rituals or ceremonies must be performed for hunting, cooking and living on a daily basis to ensure proper respect to the spirits.

Sacredness

Everything is sacred from animals, to the ocean to the clouds.  Everything must be treated with respect and love.