Inuit storiesÂ’ past and preservation (fwd link)

[phil cash cash]

Inuit stories’ past and preservation

RONALD BROWER
January 15, 2009 at 12:37PM AKST

Editor’s note: This was originally part of a speech during the Arctic Indigenous
Languages Symposium in Tromso, Norway, last fall.

This great heritage of story-telling, with its myths, rituals and tribal
histories, was passed down through generations of grandparents connecting Inuit
today to their ancestral past.

The Inuit language was important not only for survival but also to record events
of a time immemorial. Language is an important part of Inuit culture to this
day.

The role of language was significant because it helped people in communities
pass the darkest days of winter, when food was scarce, through storytelling.
The oratorical skills of story-tellers preserved accounts of historical events.
They reveal ancient cultural encounters and connect events of a time past to the
modern age.

They created a sense of identity and belonging. Their stories imparted values
and tools for survival in the ever-changing Arctic world as other peoples faded
into myth and legend.

Access full article below:
http://thearcticsounder.com/news/show/4565