Legendary creatures of Canada’s “First Nations”: Amarok

“Amarok” or “Amaruq” is found in the “Inuit” “First Nations” mythology. I have to give a precision here. The “Inuit” are not only found in the North of Canada (near the Arctic) but also from the Bering Sea to parts of Greenland. The term “Inuit” simple means “The Men.”

The “Inuit” mythology present several points in common with certain religions of most of the polar regions. The traditional religious practices of the “Inuit” form a kind shamanism with “animism” (animals) as its basis. The “Inuit” cosmology is not a religion in the theological sense. For the “Inuit”, the cosmos is not governed by anybody. There is no wind god or sun creatures. There are no eternal punishment in the next world. There is no chaos or an empty space from where the world came from. The traditional stories, the rituals and the taboos of the “Inuits” fit into a culture of precaution and protection brought on by their hostile environment. The “Inuit” believe in the existence of other worlds under the sea, under the earth and in the sky, areas where the best “angakoks” or “shamans” have the power to visit in dreams or during a trance. The “Inuit” respect all animals and their environment.

“Amarok”, in the “Inuit” mythology, is the gigantic spirit of the wolf or simply the wolf as such. It seems that the term “Amarok” designates at the same time the spirit of the wolf within the “Inuit aninism” and the wolf as an animal. In fact, cryptozoologists consider it as the arctic white wolf (canis lupus arctic). “Amarok” is seen as a great hunter who, contrary to wolves who hunt in packs, hunts alone. As such, it is reputed to attack human hunters who go out and hunt alone at night in all carelessness or foolishness. The “Inuits” and all other “First Nations” respected the wolf, but contrary to the Europeans, they see the existence of the wolf as very positive and as an associate in their quest for food. The wolf is considered indispensable in the maintenance of big game populations because of the type of hunting that it uses. The wolf is also a complimentary ally to the hunting practices of men.

The legend of “Amarok” and the caribou has been consigned by Farley Mowat (Canadian author) in 1974. Here is a brief resume of that legend.

Kayla, the sky god, had created a man and a woman and left them alone to manage and fend for themselves. The man and the woman observed their surroundings where there was no animals, not even a mosquito around them. The woman got bored of only looking at the man. She then addressed Kayla and asked him to populate the earth. Kayla told her to dig a hole through the ice and to start fishing. Well, lo and behold, she brought up, one after the other, all the animals of the world starting with gobies (little fish that go up the Great North rivers) to snow partridges (white in winter and brown in summer). The last animal that the woman brought up was the caribou. Then Kaila explained to the woman that the caribou was the greatest gift she could ever receive because it would help women and men to live. The woman let the caribou go and told him to multiply and form large herds to roam the forests and the icy plains of the earth. Thus was said, thus was done.

The caribous multiplied along with man. Man hunted the caribous, ate caribou, built tents and clothes from the caribou hide. Armed with bows and arrows, the hunters only killed the most imposing caribous which gave off more meat and the best skin hide. But… by killing the most beautiful beasts, there eventually only remained the sick, the lame and the skinny ones of which no men or women wanted.

Seeing that the children of men started to go hungry, that the leather for the clothes and the tents was getting old and used, the women started to cry. Kayla, in the sky, saw the tears. He then went to see “Amarok” the wolf spirit that also inhabited the sky not too far away. Kayla asked “Amarok” to send wolves on earth to clean up the caribou herds. Kayla specified to “Amarok” to instruct the wolves to use their teeth and claws and kill and eat the sick and the diseased caribous. The strong caribous would know how to resist the wolves, would multiply again and man will again have a strong and grand herd of caribous. The wolves then started to hunt.

From the top of a hill, the “Inuits” contemplated the hunt.

After having assembled in the forest, the wolf pack approached stealthily a caribou herd. The caribous, having smelled the wolves, formed a tight ring with the adults in front to protect the young and the weak ones. On the other hand, the wolves knew what they had to do: they rushed toward the caribou herd to separate the ranks and to drive away the rigorous males. With their large numbers, the wolves managed to isolate a young caribou. The youngster soon lost all its strength and let himself be encircled by the wolf pack. The wolves advanced and then jumped. The caribou fell under their teeth.

From the top of the hill, the “Inuits” men understood; from the sky Kaila gave a wink of the eye and the woman smiled. Since this very ancient day in time, the spirit of “Amarok” hovers the Far North and the “Inuits” let wolves hunt in peace. For the “Inuits” the wolf and the caribou are one. Yes because the caribou feeds the wolves and the wolves keep the caribou herd in good health.