INTERVIEWING INUIT ELDERS erspectives on …

1 Ilisapi Ootoova, Tipuula Qaapik Atagutsiak, Tirisi Ijjangiaq,Jaikku Pitseolak, Aalasi Joamie, Akisu Joamie, Malaija PapatsieEdited by Mich le Therrien and Fr d ric LaugrandPerspectives onTraditional HealthINTERVIEWING INUIT ELDERS5 INTERVIEWING INUIT ELDERSP erspectives on Traditional 5/1/06 10:41 AM Page 5/1/06 9:11 AM Page 239 INTERVIEWING INUIT ELDERSV olume 5 Perspectives on Traditional HealthIlisapi Ootoova, Tipuula Qaapik Atagutsiak, Tirisi Ijjangiaq,Jaikku Pitseolak, Aalasi Joamie, Akisu Joamie, Malaija Papatsie Edited by Mich le Therrien and Fr d ric 5/1/06 10:22 AM Page 1 INTERVIEWING INUIT EldersVolume 5 Perspectives on Traditional HealthCopyright 2001 Nunavut Arctic College, and Ilisapi Ootoova, Tipuula Qaapik Atagutsiak, TirisiIjjangiaq, Jaikku Pitseolak, Aalasi Joamie, Akisu Joamie, Malaija Papatsie, Mich le Therrien, Fr d ricLaugrand and participating students (as listed within).

2 Photos courtesy: Dr. Andrus Voitk; Dr. Susan Aiken and Dr. Kathy Conlan, Canadian Museum of Nature;Dr. Scott Redhead, Agriculture Canada; and Jane illustration Man and Animals by Lydia and production by Nortext (Iqaluit).All rights reserved. The use of any part of this publication, reproduced, transmitted in any form or byany means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, or stored in a retrievalsystem, without written consent of the publisher is an infringement of the copyright 1-896-204-35-XPublished by the Language and Culture Program of Nunavut Arctic College, Iqaluit, with thegenerous support of the Pairijait Tigummivik ELDERS order information:Nunavut Arctic College LibraryBox 600 Iqaluit, Nunavut X0A 5/1/06 10:22 AM Page 2 Table of ContentsACKNOWLEDGEMENTSiMAPiiINTRODUCTI ON: Strong Mind, Resilient Body.

3 A global approach1 Passing down knowledge orally3 Value of experience and need for restoring practices4 The power of words5 The courses6 Sharing knowledge6 Format of the book7 PART ONE: TUNUNIRMIUT ELDERS (North Baffin)9 Chapter 1: Sick Body: Diagnoses and Treatments11 Cuts and wounds11 The blood and nutrition20 Lice22 The use of seal oil for medicinal purposes24 Midwifery and childbirth28 Preparing oil for the qulliq36 Skin diseases40 Diagnosing sickness in the body45 Ear and eye ailments51 Seizures59 Allergies and infections63 Medicinal plants66 Sickness before and after the arrival of the whalers74 Different categories of illness77 Chapter 2: Physical Disorders and Mental States: Cultural Representations and Answers79 Physical and mental resilience79 Body aches and constipation92 Narunalattijuq, sickness that travels through the body; depression, and the value of conversation95 Childrearing100 The need to return to traditional 5/1/06 10:22 AM Page iBroken bones and dislocated joints109 Headaches113 Swallowing polyps114 Treating eye infections with lice114 Hypothermia 115 Sore throats116 Burns117 Disabilities and death119 Pittailiniit, ritual prohibitions.

4 And angakkuuniq,shamanism121 Dreams129 Aqtuqsinniq,paralyzing nightmares130 Beliefs133 Old sayings135 Premonitions140 PART TWO: UQQURMIUT ELDERS (South Baffin)145 Chapter 3: Aanniasiutigijauvaktuviniit, Materials Used for Healing; and Childbirth147 Uses of oil 147 Medicinal plants151 Treating botulism162 Childbirth163 Sipiniq, sex transformation181 Breast milk182 Menstruation184 Delivery186 Premonitions191 Infrequently used words192 Chapter 4: Mamisaijjusituqait: Counselling and Healing Practices195 Different categories of illness195 Relations between men and women202 Effects of the weather on the body205 The relationship between illness and the environment207 Practices before the introduction of bio-medicine: the uses of amulets and other 5/1/06 10:22 AM Page iiUqumangirniq, paralyzing nightmares.

5 And itillimaniq, sleepwalking219 Remedies for aches and pains225 Drowning228 Disinfectants and soaps231 Slings, splints, and scalpels233 Lice238 Chapter 5: The Importance of Thoughts, Feelings, and Words239 Attitudes towards physical disabilities239 Hurtful words and social withdrawal241 Uqaujjigiarutiit, advice on living a good life256 Chapter 6: Piruqtuit, Plants of the Land261 Introduction261 Mosses, lichens, and plants growing on the ground262 Grasses266 Shrubs and trees267 Berries271 Flowering plants274 Algae276 Additional lexicon related to plants277 Nunaup manningit,earth eggs279 APPENDIX: Angakkuuniq; Shamanism281 Naalauttajiit, those predicting the future281 Tupilait,lost souls282 Seeking a longer life284 Sakaniq,a shaman calling for his helping spirits284 Qaggilutit, gathering in the ceremonial 5/1/06 10:22 AM Page 5/1/06 10:22 AM Page ivWith much heartfelt gratitude we would like to thank the Pairijait Tigummivik Society for funding the publication costs for this series.

6 Without their contribution this series may not have become a NewberyNick Newberyd/oic7mE4Lt4 scsy3u[l wo7fy3u[k wo8ix3ioEJ5kNK5 yM5g6n3F1u d/8N DmK5 XwE/w5 tA7uF4f8i4 Ns/6bc6t5tJ8N3mb sfx `Q2Xb sfx WbcoC/`QM5. 5/1/06 10:22 AM Page 5/1/06 10:22 AM Page vi1nirlx6 SanikiluaqSanikiluaq2r7uD5 KimmirutKimmirut3wclw5 Iqaluit Iqaluit4X8i6 6 PangnirtungPanniqtuuq5er6b3Jx6 QikiqtarjuaqQikiqtarjuaq6r`Zw5 Cape Dorset Kinngait7vq6g W4 Clyde RiverKangiqtugaapik8n9o6 Coral Harbour Salliq9niC/4 Hall BeachSanirajak10w[lo4 IgloolikIglulik11Ns 5 Repulse BayNaujaat12x3Fo[Jx6 Pelly BayArviligjuaq13gkiDy6 Arctic BayTununirusiq14u5tmbo4 Pond InletMittimatalik15 NiyF4 NanisivikNanisivik16w[lo 3J4 Chesterfield Inlet Igluligaarjuk17vq6Oi6 Rankin InletKangiq&iniq18trC3Jx6 Whale CoveTikirarjuaq19x3Fx5 ArviatArviat20cmi5gx6 Baker LakeQamanittuaq21bl3Jx6 TaloyoakTalurjuaq22s6h6 6 Gjoa HavenUqsuqtuuq23wcl4 4tx6]]]]]

7 Cambridge Bay Iqaluktuuttiaq24su1m4 6 Bay ChimoUmingmaktuuq25ezs4 Bathurst 5/1/06 10:22 AM Page 5/1/06 10:22 AM Page viii The mind is so powerful that it can take over the body (Akisu Joamie)Strong Mind, Resilient Body: A global approachWhile discussing traditional health practices and medical knowledge, one couldexpect ELDERS to give a list of the best techniques to cure sickness dependingon the various types of health problems or injuries they were facing in thepast: how to deal with boils, infections, fever, eye infections colds, broken bones,drowning, and so on. But the INUIT perspective encompasses much more. Along withtechniques to heal cuts and wounds, and to cure sicknesses (see also Meeko, 1989;Anonymous, 1998), ELDERS discussed recollections of how to develop a strong mind anda resilient is important to make clear that in INUIT societies medical knowledge never existedas an autonomous and formal body of knowledge as in modern Western many practices are described in detail in this book, most of the ELDERS testimonies are of a more general nature, the main concern being life and consciousnessin all their dimensions.

8 Specific techniques are therefore part of a broader discourse, for the ELDERS describeand comment on inherited conceptions or values: a complete cosmology is madeavailable in which life and health are approached globally (see also Therrien andQumaq, 1995). ELDERS stress that only a strong mind allows for a healthy body. The bodyis hence to be put in close relation with all human experiences including quality ofinterpersonal relationships, quality of the relations to the environment and game, andquality of relations to the deceased and the spirits. Regarding the last point, dreams, forexample, are still considered most important, according to the fact, health is conceived less as a personal matter, as in Western societies, than asa harmonious order in which the person is integrated in an encompassing social,temporal, spiritual and non-empirical environment.

9 Conversely, when eldersdifferentiate between body and mind, they tend to underline their complementarity andto stress their close interrelationship, because every person is linked to a broaderphysical, animal and social environment. If mind and body are so deeply boundtogether, it can then be easily understood why biological disorders are often interpretedas the expression of social-order deterioration. One can also understand why INUIT stillconsider an animal substance such as seal oil as having both the ability to energize thebody by warming it up and to prevent or heal many health problems. According to 5/1/06 10:22 AM Page 1elders, seal oil appears essential for health, especially because marine mammal oil iswell recognized by the body and, on a larger scale, because seal oil plays a key role inInuit tradition:Seal oil is still used today.

10 Amongst all the animals, the seal is themost useful. Although the seal is really small compared to someanimals, it is extremely useful. It is the most abundant. It is easier tocatch than many other animals. Its blubber is used for food, and forheat. Seal oil is used to waterproof kamiikand of course for healing.(Tipuula Qaapik Atagutsiak)As a rule, providing specific desired foods to a sick person was considered very helpfulin the past:For example, if a sick person desired aged meat or fish, even if theydidn t have any personally, the family would seek what the personwanted to eat from neighbours. Once they ate what they wanted,they would start getting better slowly.