A Poor Man’s Prayer to the Spirits6

In winter, when there is only little blubber oil in the lamps, and people are anxious lest they go out altogether, the hunter can make a new catch by repeating the following words early in the morning when the day is just dawning: You, fatherless and motherless

You, dear little orphan
Give me
Kamiks or caribou,
Bring me a gift,
An animal, one of those
That provide nice blood-soup,
An animal from the sea depths
And not from the plains of earth
You, little orphan,
Bring me a gift.

Poetry Resources

Songs are Thoughts; Poems of the Inuit edited by Neil Philip, published by Doubleday Canada, Toronto, ON, 1995, ISBN: 0-385-25458-X.

The Elders’ Palace Iniqnirit Qalgiat poems by Margo Button with Natasha Thorpe, published by Oolichan Books, Lantzville, BC, 2002.

Enriching our Lives; Poetry Lessons for Adult Literacy Teachers and Tutors by Francis E. Kazemek and Pat Rigg, published by International Reading Association, Newark, DE, 1995. ISBN: 0-87207-137-5. Available through Grass Roots Press.

For the Love of Poetry; Literacy Scaffolds, Extension Ideas, and More by Nancy Lee Cecil, published by Peguis Publishers, Winnipeg, MB, 1997, ISBN: 1895411-87-4. Peguis Publishers’ web site: www.ideasforteachers.com

Reading in the Classroom, by Carol Tapsell, published by Aurora College, Fort Smith, 1999. Available from Director of Policy and Programs, Aurora College HQ, Fort Smith, 867-872-7012.