Takannaaluk

Takannaaluk is an Inuktitut legend about Nuliajuk, a young woman who becomes the mother of sea mammals after enduring betrayal and brutality at the hands of the men in her life. The book, written by Inuit elder Hervé Paniaq and illustrated by Inuit artist and illustrator Germaine Arnaktauyok, is published in a bilingual format and features both Inuktitut and English text. Inhabit Media Inc., the first Inuit owned publishing company in Canada, aims to accurately represent the culture of the Canadian Arctic for young readers. Takannaaluk is one of the many authentic traditional stories representing Inuit mythology from Nunavut published by Inhabit Media.

Nuliajuk is the common name by which the tale’s protagonist is known in many different northern Canadian communities, but Takannaaluk is the name she is known by in the Igloolik area of Nunavut. At the beginning of the story, she is known as Uinigumasuittuq, “the one who never wanted to marry”. Her father wants her to marry so that he can gain a man to help him with his daily tasks. Men ask Uinigumasuittuq to marry them, but she refuses them all. The men who ask to marry her are actually animals who have transformed themselves into human form. In the text, one is a seal and the other is a caribou that have transformed themselves into men. The illustrations also show a fish, a polar bear, an owl and two more birds that are part man and part animal. She eventually marries a man with a deceiving appearance who takes her far from her home. He turns out to be a transformed fulmar, a seabird, who has frightening red eyes hidden under his goggles. Uinigumasuittuq is unhappy but then settles into the routine of being his wife.

Uinigumasuittuq's father longs to bring her back home even after forcing her to get married. He does not want her to have a "lousy husband" who deceived her with his false appearance. He doesn't like the fact that her husband needs to sit on a stool in a canoe to seem taller and that he wears goggles over his red eyes to be able to see. Towards the end of the tale, Uinigumasuittuq’s father, set on bringing her back home, takes her away from her married life in his boat. Her seabird husband chases after them as he does not want to lose his wife’s hard-working hands. He transforms into a seabird and rocks their boat, angering Uinigumasuittuq’s father who then throws Uinigumasuittuq from the boat. As she tries to hold onto the edge of the boat, her angry father cuts off her fingers. She then becomes Takannaaluk, “the one down there” who lives in the ocean with bearded seals and sea creatures. It is explained that people could go to her for food and see the creatures she created with her fingers.

Readers unfamiliar with the legend may find some of the details of how Takannaaluk becomes the mother of sea mammals somewhat confusing. Some of this information may have been lost in the English translation. She is only described as the “feared and respected” “mother of sea mammals” on the back of the book and not in the book’s concluding text. The book could benefit from a stronger and clearer written conclusion (English text). The reason as to why seals come swimming up to where her fingers fall off is not described with clarity. As a reader unfamiliar with the tale, many questions arose when reading the text: Were the seals coming to save her, or did her fingers become seals? Takannaaluk is miserable and suffers throughout the story. Is she then happy and at peace at the tale’s end? None of these things are explained clearly within the English text.

The illustrations are reflective of the sombre tone that is carried throughout the tale. The illustrations are dark, bleak, and maintain the sad tone that exists throughout the story. Overall, Takannaaluk is a captivating representation of an oral Inuit tale that has not been previously published. Readers not previously familiar with the Inuit tale will gain insight into mythology that has existed for generations in the Canadian Arctic.