THE AMERICAS 243
Carved from wood, this mask takes
the form of a whale, but also resembles
a canoe with oars. It may have been
worn during Inuit ceremonies to
ensure a successful hunt.See also: Cherokee creation 236–37 ■ Spider Woman 238–39 ■ The Woge settle a dispute 240–41 ■ The Hero Twins 244–47Raven recognized the woman as
the whale’s inua, its heart and soul.
The woman told Raven to stand
back from the lamp. He did as she
asked but noticed that oil dripped
into the lamp from a tube running
along the whale’s backbone.Tempted by the oil
The inua offered to fetch berries
and oil for her guest. Before she left
the room, she warned Raven not totouch the tube from which the
oil was dripping while she was
out of the room. The same thing
happened the next day, and the day
after that. Each time the woman
fetched food for Raven, she warned
him not to touch the oil.
For three days, Raven was
patient, but on the fourth day, he
could not contain his greed. As
soon as the woman had left the
room, Raven clawed at the tube and
licked the oil as fast as he could.
When he ripped the tube from the
ceiling to make the oil flow faster,
the oil gushed out, flooded the
whale’s belly, and extinguished
the lamp, plunging the room into
total darkness.
The inua never returned. Raven
rolled around inside the whale as it
thrashed about in the ocean. The
great animal only became still as
the waves washed its dead bodyThe sacred whale hunt
The whale hunt is an ancient Inuit
practice, central to the Artic
people’s survival and beliefs, a
version of which continues today.
Whaling communities prepared for
the annual hunt by making new
clothes and boat covers. Hunters
performed cleansing ceremonies
and armed themselves with
specially carved amulets andweapons. These rituals showed
great respect to the whale and
its spirit, and represented deeply
held beliefs that the hunters’
success depended on securing
the spirit’s cooperation.
After the hunt, the Inuit
welcomed the dead whale with
a gift of fresh water presented in
a ceremonial bucket. They sang
songs to celebrate the whale’s
sacrifice. Honoring the whale in
this way ensured success the
following year, for the whale’s
spirit would return to the sea to
tell other whales that it had
been well treated.Inuit people traditionally hunted
narwhals and other whales, sea otters,
and seals. They also fished for salmon
through holes in the ice.The raven raised one of
its wings, pushed up its beak,
like a mask, to the top of
its head, and changed at
once into a man.
The Eskimo about
Bering Straitto the shore. As soon as the people
heard about the whale, they ran to
the shore to cut away the meat, and
Raven escaped unnoticed. He
returned as a man and warned the
people that if they found a fire drill
inside the whale they would die.
The people ran away in fright
while Raven, transformed back into
a bird once more, gave thanks to
the whale’s inua for the feast he
was about to enjoy. ■US_242-243_Raven-and-Whale.indd 243 05/12/17 3:00 pm