Two men were going qajaqing on the sea to hunt for sea mammals. They would watch for the mammal’s head to bob up for breath. As they went along the men spotted many walruses. They paddled over closer to where some could be seen surfacing, and the hunt was on.
My generation has all heard this story and has learned its valuable information. These days, young boys and teenagers are not fully equipped because they have not heard all there is to know. Let this lesson of old be heard by the young now.
When a walrus is eating, one must not ride above it. He will rise suddenly and capsize the boat. That even happened to a qallunaaq once. He rode above the eating walrus and, sure enough, he capsized.
So it went that one of the hunters rode above a walrus. The walrus rose quickly and turned the man’s qajaq over. The irritated walrus embraced the man and brought him under water. The other man rushed to the scene and waited, hoping the walrus would bring the man back up. The walrus came up again, all right, but would soon plunge below again.
The man who was waiting was a shaman and tried to get the walrus to release his companion. The walrus rose once again, this time closer to the waiting man. Ah, but swiftly he plunged back under with his captive.
The concerned shaman began to conjure up a spell to have the walrus release his friend. Then the submerged walrus quickly reappeared and let the hunter go! Once the released man was clear, the shaman went over to rescue him from the water. He piled him up onto his qajaq and together they headed for shore. They did not catch the walrus.
I don’t know the names of these people who had this encounter with the walrus. This is a story that is passed down for young people, and adults too, to learn its lesson.