These stories were made when all unbelievable things could happen.
Rasmussen, Intellectual Culture of the Copper Eskimos
The unikkaaqtuat are beneficial to children. At one time these stories were true, but
they are so old they just became stories. They are very useful for children. There are
all sorts of stories that can be told to children. Most times, children start settling down
when you tell a story. Most of the stories that we heard were true and they have a definite benefit for children.
Uqsuralik Ottokie1
It is not always that we want a point in our stories, if only they are amusing. It is only
the white men that want a reason and an explanation of everything; and so our old
men say that we should treat white man as children who always want their own way. If
not, they become angry, and scold.
Rasmussen, Intellectual Culture of the Copper Eskimos
This section includes 15 sample oral history stories which have been transcribed and translated. You can use them in your literacy program in either Inuktitut/ Inuinnaqtun or English – or both – whatever suits the needs of your program.
If your literacy program is shorter and doesn’t allow you to collect your own oral histories or listen to tapes, you can use these stories as a basis for any of the activities in the Project Ideas section.
We have included different types of stories: personal or community life stories, legends, and how-to stories.
We also included three versions of the same story, Inukpak: Inukpak, told by George Kuptana, Inukpak The Giant, told by Helen Paungat and Inugpasugssuk, a Netsilik story retold by Howard Norman. It might be interesting to compare the three versions. How is the storyline the same or different? What is the difference in the style of writing? What do you notice when you compare Inuit oral stories to the usual style of written English? How do you think the translation affects the story?
These stories might inspire you to talk to people in your community to find out if any similar stories exist. People in your group could each choose a story that they would like to tell in Inuktitut or Inuinnaqtun. This is a great way to build confidence and language skills. You could practise the story until you are comfortable with it and then tell it to your own children or to small groups of children.
Enjoy the stories!