Qalupalik
Encyclopedia
Qalupalik is an Inuit mythological creature
. They are human-like creatures that live in the sea, with long hair with green skin and long finger nails. The myth is that qalupaliks wear an amuatik (which is a form of pouch that Inuit parents wear to carry their children) so that they can take babies and children who disobey their parents away. The story was used to prevent children from wandering off alone else the qalupalik would take the children in her amautik under water and keep them forever.
Qalupaliks are supposed to have a distinctive humming sound so they can be heard before they appear.
The myth was adapted as a 2010 stop motion animation short Qalupalik by Ame Papatsie, produced by the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation
and the National Film Board of Canada
through its Nunavut Animation Lab. The film had its world premiere at the 2010 Terres en vues/Land InSights
festival.
The Qalupalik is a very famous creature amongst the Inuit. A painting of one can be seen here.
Inuit mythology
Inuit mythology has many similarities to the religions of other polar regions. Inuit traditional religious practices could be very briefly summarised as a form of shamanism based on animist principles....
. They are human-like creatures that live in the sea, with long hair with green skin and long finger nails. The myth is that qalupaliks wear an amuatik (which is a form of pouch that Inuit parents wear to carry their children) so that they can take babies and children who disobey their parents away. The story was used to prevent children from wandering off alone else the qalupalik would take the children in her amautik under water and keep them forever.
Qalupaliks are supposed to have a distinctive humming sound so they can be heard before they appear.
The myth was adapted as a 2010 stop motion animation short Qalupalik by Ame Papatsie, produced by the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation
Inuit Broadcasting Corporation
The Inuit Broadcasting Corporation is a television broadcasting company based in Nunavut. Its programming is targeted at the Inuit population of Nunavut and almost all of its programs are broadcast in Inuktitut. Select programs are also broadcast in English. In contrast with traditional...
and the National Film Board of Canada
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
through its Nunavut Animation Lab. The film had its world premiere at the 2010 Terres en vues/Land InSights
Terres en vues/Land InSights
Terres en Vues/Land InSights is a Montreal-based association that promotes Indigenous cultures and encourages intercultural communication by drawing attention to First Peoples’ artistic and cultural creations in various media, such as: films and documentaries, literature, traditional legends and...
festival.
The Qalupalik is a very famous creature amongst the Inuit. A painting of one can be seen here.
Further Reading
- Elisha Kilabuk. The Qalupalik ISBN 1926569318
- LLC Books. Inuit Legendary Creatures: Qiqirn, Akhlut, Ijiraq, Amarok, Saumen Kar, Tizheruk. ISBN 1158650086
- Rink, Henry (1875). Tales and Traditions of the Eskimo (with a Sketch of their Habits, Religion, Language and other Peculiarities). London. Reduced to HTML by Christopher M. Weimer, April 2003.
- Millman, Lawrence, and Timothy White. A Kayak Full of Ghosts Eskimo Tales. Santa Barbara: Capra Press, 1987. ISBN 0884962679
- Norman, Howard A., Leo Dillon, and Diane Dillon. The Girl Who Dreamed Only Geese, and Other Tales of the Far North. New York: Harcourt Brace, 1997. ISBN 0152309799
- Spalding, Alex. Eight Inuit Myths = Inuit Unipkaaqtuat Pingasuniarvinilit. Ottawa: National Museums of Canada, 1979.
- Wolfson, Evelyn. Inuit Mythology. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow Pub, 2001. ISBN 0766015599