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Igutsaq (The Woman Who Adopted a Bumblebee)

There once was a woman named Igutsalik who adopted a bumblebee. The adopted bee was named Igutsaq, in honour of its mother by adoption Igutsalik. Igutsalik was Igustsaq’s sauniq. [Sauniq is the Inuttitut word for namesake.]

The story goes that Igutsalik had a friend from Kangirsujuaq. Her name was Qattaaq.

Qattaaq helped her friend Igutsalik by threading beads. Together, Qataaq and Igutsalik decorated a tiny sack. The sack was just exactly small enough to fit a big bumblebee.

Artist: Elisapee Inukpuk Qattaaq did not know why she was beading a tiny sack. Qattaaq did not know for whom she was beading a tiny sack. But nonetheless Qattaaq helped to make a beautifully beaded sack.

Igutsalik did not tell Qattaaq why she was beading a sack. Igutsalik did not tell Qattaaq for whom she was beading a sack. But nonetheless she let her friend Qattaaq help to make a beautifully beaded sack.

And so it happened that Qattaaq did not know that she had made a beautiful outfit for a large adopted bee named Igutsaq.

Until one day… Qattaaq found out that the beautifully beaded sack was used as clothing by a bumblebee named Igutsaq. And Qattaaq became very, very sick.

Afterword

It is not known how Igutsaq was fed or what Igutsaq ate. All that is known is that Igutsaq was said to be a very big bumblebee.

Excerpt from: Unikkaangualaurtaa (Let's Tell a Story)