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Angry Man

This is a story about an angry and jealous man who watched his wife’s every move.

Long ago, there was a man who was always cross with his wife. He was cross with her when he was preparing to go hunting. He was cross with her when he returned from hunting. He was always angry with her. He wanted to own her completely. He did not like it when she was with other people; he became very jealous. He was a very angry and jealous person.

The man kept watch on his wife’s every move. He watched her while he got ready to go hunting. He watched her as he climbed into his qayaq. He watched her as he paddled away from shore.

The woman became very, very tired of her husband’s watchfulness. And she became very, very tired of her husband’s anger and jealousy. The woman became qivittuq.

Artist: Joe Talirunili One day the woman spied her husband paddling home in his qayaq, coming home from a hunt. As usual her husband was already watching her.

Near the woman were some men playing pattaq [catch-ball], so she decided to go watch them play. Her husband could see this. Eventually, she headed towards the shore. She wanted her husband to think that she was on her way to help him.

As she walked toward the shore, the woman braided her long hair. At the shore, she waited on an innaaruq [rock cliff], still braiding her hair. She was still braiding it when her husband came ashore, and grabbed her by the hair. The woman fell over the innaaruq and plunged into the water, taking her husband with her.

In the water, the woman turned instantly into an allanguaq [narwhal]; her long braid became the narwhal’s tusk.

Her husband cried, “I love you so much, come to me!”

To which the woman replied, “Since you love me so much, and are so jealous, you can follow me to the bottom of the sea!”

As soon as she spoke those words, her husband transformed into a kanajuraq [sculpin].

Afterword

The woman got so sick and tired of being constantly watched by her husband that she turned into a narwhal. To this day, narwhal’s tusk reminds us of the woman’s braid.

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