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Kautjajuq

Kautjajuq was a poor orphan boy who spent his days making oil from seal fat, until the day his brother transformed him, and he became a giant.

Long ago, there was an orphan boy named Kautjajuq. Both his parents had died when he was still a small boy, so he was adopted by his grandparents. Kautjajuq had an older brother who lived elsewhere. Still, he loved Kautjajuq, and visited him from time to time. He knew that the boy was neglected and mistreated.

Artist: Annie Makimak Kautjajuq was truly mistreated, a pitiful iliarjuk. He was often hungry and thirsty. He had to sleep in the entry of his grandparents’ home, without any blankets or bedding. He slept at the manuaq [threshold] of the igloo, sharing his sleeping place with the dogs.

Kautjajuq was very small. He was so small that his grandfather and other people would move him around by his nose. These heartless people would pick him up by his nostrils, using their index and middle fingers. As a result, his nose became huge and red and swollen, and it turned up at the end.

Kautjajuq lived in the porch with four dogs called Qipiarjualuk, Akitiarjualuk, Alliniarjualuk, and Qulittaajualuk. Not only did he have to sleep with the dogs, he had to eat with them, too. They were fed the same food. Kautjajuq did not even have any utensils with which to eat. He ate with his teeth. Just like the dogs.

One day a woman who lived in the camp took pity on Kautjajuq, and gave him a knife. Nobody told Kautjajuq’s grandparents about the knife. But they noticed that Kautjajuq was finishing his food more quickly than normal, and they became malugusutuuq [suspicious].

One night, as the family was sleeping, an Inuk arrived at the camp. Kautjajuq’s grandfather woke the poor little orphan, and ordered him to go and see who had arrived.

It was very dark outside, and Kautjajuq was very small, so he was afraid to go outside to see who the visitor was. Instead, he told one of the dogs who lived in the porch with him to go out and see who was there. But the dog refused to move. So Kautjajuq tried to encourage the dog by singing it a song:

Qipiarjualuuk aningaarit, Qulitaajualuuk itsungaarit
Aningaarumannginama itsuangaarumangnginama
Aningaalirama itsuangaalirama
Aaningaga nutiuna tikitsuni
Ullaakut tikitsuni
Ullaaraatsiajuakkut tikitsuni

Still, none of the dogs would move. Finally Kautjajuq went outside alone, even though he was very, very scared. Waiting outside was his angajuk [older brother], the only person in the world who loved him.

Artist: Lucien Turner Kautjajuq and his angajuk left the camp, and went to a place where no one else could hear them. When they came to a large boulder, the angajuk took an iparaq [whip] and began to whip Kautjajuq all over his body. The whipping was meant to force Kautjajuq’s body to grow. It was in the dark of winter, and the air was freezing cold.

Every now and then the older brother would stop and ask, “My dear little brother, have you not changed yet?” Kautjajuq would answer, “I have not yet changed, so keep on whipping me.”

So the brother kept whipping until Kautjajuq had grown large enough that he could lift the big boulder. By the time angajuk stopped the whipping, Kautjajuq was a man. He was a very big man, a giant, because of what his brother had done.

The reason the angajuk was able to make Kautjajuq grow into a giant was because he was a shaman. As a shaman he could cause his brother to nulajuq [transform].

After the whipping, Kautjajuq the giant returned to the camp with his brother. There, the shaman called for three large polar bears and their cubs to come to the grandfather’s camp. The arrival of the polar bears frightened everyone. Then, Kautjajuq started picking up the people one by one, and threw them to the bears.

Kautjajuq’s grandfather yelled, “Kautjajuruuq nuluva?” [Has Kautjajuq been transformed?] To which Kautjajuq yelled back, “I will get you.”

People were very scared. They did not want to be thrown to the bears. Some of them cried, “We helped you Kautjajuq, we gave you piniraq to keep you warm. You should not have become big. ”

They sang:

“Kautjajuq nulajualuummat, nulajuq nulannami nunalik qanialuatta silarqimi!”

There were two women who had been kind and generous to Kautjajuq when he was small, but he accidentally threw them to the polar bears.

Some men offered Kautjajuq their kayaks and sleds if he would spare their lives. But even as they begged, Kautjajuq picked these people up and threw them to the polar bears.

Of all the people living at the camp at that time, only two lives were spared. Those two women became Kautjajuq’s wives and servants, and lived the rest of their lives in fear, rushing to fill his every request.

Kautjajuq had become a giant and was greatly feared.

Moral
When children are always treated badly and without care they can become mean adults.

Tips
Use the Kautjajuq story to talk about human values with the children.We all desire to be respected, and we all want to feel loved. We all deserve to be treated respectfully and to be raised with care.

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