It is the habit of the ukpiks, or snowy owls, to scan the area for food. It is not just the ukpiks, of course, that do this as all animals and birds do so too. They roam the area in search of food, just as the Inuit do. In the old days, during our nomadic life, we would cover vast areas in search of food and materials for survival. It wasn’t just the Inuit of our area that once lived like that for, at one point, all the people of the north lived nomadically.
The ukpiks, somewhat like their Inuit counterparts, have the habit of hunting any available game. Like the Inuit, they must always at least attempt to catch what comes along for their mere hands do not always make for a successful hunt.
The great ukpik was looking for something to catch and eat. It was early autumn and the siksiks, or ground squirrels, were out and about collecting food for the oncoming winter. The siksiks were collecting blueberries, grasses, red berries and other small plants. When winter brought snow, they would burrow into their dens beneath it. Their hibernation would last until spring so they would be sure to store enough food to eat.
While the siksiks were out gathering food, the ukpik saw them. He looked around for their burrows and, alas, he found one. He waited for that siksik’s return there at his door.
After a time, the siksik appeared. He was returning home from foraging and needed to enter his hole. What a frightful sight awaited him! The ukpik had him trapped; he would kill him and eat him. The siksik, unable to escape, told the ukpik, “What a deliciously fat, juicy siksik you’ve cornered. Think what a tasty feast you are about to have. How smart you are. Rejoice and celebrate. Look up in the sky and dance with all your might.?
The ukpik considered how truly fortunate he was and began to celebrate. There wasn’t any way that the cornered siksik could escape. The ukpik blocked the burrow’s entrance and the siksik had no refuge.
Triumphantly, the ukpik called out to his friends, “I’ve trapped this animal; he is cornered... haul a sled in, bring him home!” The siksik was so fat that the ukpik thought he’d need to enlist the help of his friends to carry his catch. Again he called out to his fellow ukpiks, “I’ve trapped this one, he’s cornered... haul in a sled, bring him home!” By this time the ukpiks were harnessing their dogs and were soon off to the catch site. They were excited to hear of their friend’s find and eagerly went to meet him.
Meanwhile, the siksik continued, “Oh what a fine meal you will eat. Think of the tender, fat meat. Celebrate and look up in the sky. Dance and bend and open your furry legs a little wider.” The siksik sang...