Angakkuq facts for kids
The Inuit angakkuq (pronounced: ah-NGAHK-kooq) is a very important spiritual leader and healer in Inuit culture. You might think of them like a medicine man or a spiritual guide. Other groups in the Arctic, like some Alaska Natives, also had similar spiritual leaders in their traditions.
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Becoming an Angakkuq
Both women and men could become an angakkuq, though it was less common for women. The path to becoming one was different for everyone.
- Sometimes, an angakkuq's child might be trained by their parent.
- Other times, a shaman might predict that a baby would grow up to be a spiritual leader.
- Young people who showed special abilities or powers might be taught by an experienced mentor.
- Some angakkuit said they were called to the role through powerful dreams or visions.
- Even orphans or people who had faced very tough times could become angakkuit. They often got help from the spirits of their loved ones who had passed away.
Training and Spirit Guides
Training to be an angakkuq involved learning special traditions and roles. They also learned a unique language, which was an older way of speaking. This special language and knowledge was shared across many Arctic areas where the Inuit lived.
During their training, an angakkuq would gain a special spirit guide. This guide, called a tuurngaq in the Inuit religion, could only be seen by the angakkuq. Sometimes, this guide would give them amazing powers. Inuit stories tell of angakkuit who could run as fast as caribou or even fly with the help of their tuurngaq.
Role in the Community
Most of the time, an angakkuq lived a normal life, just like anyone else in the Inuit community. But when people needed spiritual help, they would call on the angakkuq.
When an Angakkuq is Needed
Angakkuit were called upon for many reasons:
- To help cure sickness.
- To find out why bad things were happening, like poor hunting or bad weather.
- To understand the meaning of dreams.
If the angakkuq helped the whole village, they usually did it for free. But if they helped an individual or a family, they would often receive payment for their efforts.
Inuit Rules and Misfortune
The Inuit had important rules and guidelines for living:
- tirigusuusiit: things to avoid doing.
- maligait: things to follow.
- piqujait: things to do.
If these rules were not followed, people believed it could cause bad luck. This might include bad weather, accidents, or unsuccessful hunts. When misfortune happened, the angakkuq would step in.
To find the cause of the problem, the angakkuq would go on a spirit journey outside their body. On this journey, they would discover what caused the misfortune. When they returned, the angakkuq would ask questions. People often confessed what they had done wrong, believing the angakkuq already knew the truth. Sometimes, just confessing was enough to solve the problem. Other times, people might need to do something to make up for their actions.
The Sedna Ceremony
The angakkuit of the central Inuit people took part in a yearly ceremony to please Sedna, the Sea Woman. The Inuit believed that Sedna became angry when her rules were broken. To make her happy again, an angakkuq would travel in spirit to her underwater home, Adlivun. There, the angakkuq would smooth out Sedna's hair. This was very helpful to Sedna because, in the myth, she doesn't have fingers.
The angakkuq would then beg or even fight with Sedna to make sure their people would not starve. The Inuit believed that the angakkuq's pleas and apologies would bring the animals back and help hunters be successful. After this spirit journey, communities would have public confessions and then a celebration.
Spirits and Names
Angakkuit often worked with "auxiliary spirits." These could be the spirits of people who had died or non-human spirits. Each spirit had its own name that could be used to call upon it.
Naming Children
If a baby was very sick or hard to calm, people sometimes believed that a dead family member was trying to live again through the baby. In such cases, the baby would be named after that person. If the family couldn't figure out the right name, the angakkuq could name the baby after one of their own auxiliary spirits. This was thought to give the child life-saving energy. Children named this way were often more likely to become shamans themselves, connected by name to that spirit.
Changing Names and Identity
Sometimes, an angakkuq might ritually rename an adult during a difficult time. The person's old name would then be seen as an auxiliary spirit. This could even be a way for the renamed person to begin their own journey into shamanism. For example, a man named Nanuq (meaning "polar bear") was renamed Qimuksiraaq by a shaman. His old name, Nanuq, then became an auxiliary spirit linked to polar bears. After this, Qimuksiraaq became an angakkuq.
Angakkuit might also pass their own personal names to their children or grandchildren, sometimes even after they had passed away. A person named after a shaman might inherit some of their spiritual powers, but they didn't have to become a shaman themselves.
Angakkuuniq Today
Traditional Inuit spirituality, including the role of shamanism (called angakkuuniq), is still part of the Inuit way of life today. It has changed over time due to contact with Christianity.
In 2002, a study with Inuit elders found that some Inuit reject shamanism because of their Christian beliefs. However, others support it, sometimes using Christian ideas, to help keep their traditional identity and ways of life alive. The elders said that angakkuit still practice in Inuit communities today. Some angakkuuniq practices might even be done in secret, which is similar to how they were sometimes done in the past.
The elders interviewed in 2002, while saying they were Christian, suggested that both Christian ministry and angakkuuniq could offer different benefits. They felt that even though angakkuuniq came from the past, knowledge of it should be passed on. They believed its benefits for modern Inuit should be carefully understood. They also thought that angakkuuniq could help with current social problems in Inuit communities.
