Reading Notes: Week 10 (part 1)

This unit I am trying things a little differently. Because the Eskimo stories were very short and similar, I've decided to look at the reading on a macro scale. In the past, I have always written about every story in the unit.

Each of the sub-stories within the Eskimo Folk Tales unit had the same sort of plot. One of the stories even said the same thing. The main trend is a single man and his efforts to find love, his failed love, and his hunting abilities. Often times these were strongly correlated. For example, many of the characters in the stories were unable to find love because they were poor hunters. The women in the stories sought a man who could provide and held prestige in the community. Most of the men in these stories were not noble people. They were generally poor hunters without the help of others, and they struggled to provide.

In a couple of the stories, animals played significant roles. One elderly woman had a pet bear who was more like a child. In another, a community relied on a large dog to bring back food.

When looking back on this unit, I will remember the themes of pity and misery associated with the characters. It seems odd to me that the Inuit people have a tradition of miserable men in their folklore. After considering their situation for some time, I thought it may be because women are not as prevalent in the society. So it is possible that there were more eligible men than women, which led to a trend of sad, lonely men. It is entirely possible that I am way off base, but I think there may be some truth to it.

I am hopeful that the second half of this unit will be a bit unique compared to the first half.

A happy eskimo dog - flickr

Eskimo Folk Tales by Knud Rasmussen (1921)