Hunters, Predators and Prey: Inuit Perceptions of Animals

Inuit hunting traditions are rich in perceptions, practices and stories relating to animals and human beings. Laugrand and Oosten examine key figures such as the raven, an animal that has a central place in Inuit culture as a creator and a trickster, and qupirruit, a category consisting of insects and other small life forms. After these non-social and inedible animals, the authors discuss the dog, the companion of the hunter, and the fellow hunter, the bear, considered to resemble a human being. A discussion of the renewal of whale hunting accompanies the chapters about animals considered "prey par excellence": the caribou, the seals, and the whale, symbol of the whole. The volume concludes with a comparative analysis of the ethnographic data presented in the book.