A Latter Day Prophet (not in the bible) and why God is a feminist; part1
Posted: Saturday, January 23, 2010
by Carol Fernandez
(part 1; The Inupiaq and the shamans).
In the early 1800s, the Inupiaq Eskimo people lived out their quiet and simple lives.
It was a physically harsh existence; the cold was fierce, food could be scarce.
There was no formal education, no religion, no God; yet their lives were rich in a way that our own are so poor. The people lived in close communities, taking care of each other.
The Inupiaq had an incredible love for their frozen land and all who inhabited it.
They seemed to feel a complete oneness with it, an abiding attachment, even for its very ferocity.
The respect they felt for it extended to all life forms.
They had to hunt animals to survive, yet after it was killed, they would lay it gently and carefully to rest in a particular way and pray over it, asking for the safe journey of its soul.
This love for their land was often described in spiritual terms for these illiterate, impoverished Eskimos possesed unique inner riches. They had a special word 'qui-inuinaqtuk' which refers to a state of mind that reaches beyond dreaming, like looking through a glass and being able to see things that you could never see before. You can see the light and dark of all your past; thus you are able to heal all the wounds of your heart and soul; it has been describes as a state of peace and joy 'deeper then happiness.'
I think they had found 'shanti' or 'nirvana' by journeying inwards so that they could hear the whisperings of their soul.
Yet these people lived under a dark and powerful shadow, the rule of the shamans.
Shamans controlled all the spirits that caused disease, food availability, storms, blessings or curses.
They ruled by fear, traditions and taboos. If their spells worked, they demanded payment such as food, skins, the favours of a daughter. If their spells failed then this was the victim's fault for not obeying the spirits.
Women in particular were the subject of many taboos. They were not allowed to give birth at home as it would bring bad luck on the family. They were forced to go and make a den for themselves and remain there alone, surviving only on food left out for them, nearby.
Upon the onset of puberty, signaled by menstruation, a girl had to cover her face with a hood and leave her home; she must live alone with no contact with anybody from her community for 12 months.
Life was very hard for the women.
Then, into their midst came Maniilaq.
( continued in part 2.)
This Article has been viewed 222 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
No comments yet.We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.