The people of the northernmost region of
North America traditionally lived by hunting
and fishing in the cold Arctic seas. Their myths,
therefore, feature stories of the sea and its
deities, including tales explaining the origins
of sea animals and the fluctuations in theavailability of creatures such as fish, seals,
walruses, and whales. Many spirits figure in
these myths; among peoples such as the Inuit,
shamans were said to be able to communicate
with them, often with the help of Inua,
spirit helpers who took animal form.Myths of the Far North
NORTH AMERICATHE SEA GODDESS
Sedna, also known as the Sea Woman, was the goddess
of the sea. She whipped up storms, and influenced the
migration of birds and animals. Sedna was originally
a beautiful girl with long flowing hair. She married a
young man, who promised to give her fur blankets and
good food every day. But on reaching his home, she found
out that he was a bird-man in disguise. He mistreated
her, and when Sedna’s father found out, he killed her
husband and took her away in his kayak. But the
spirit of the bird-man raised a great storm, and in
order to appease the angry spirit, Sedna’s father
threw her overboard. He stopped her from climbing
back into the kayak by cutting of her fingers, which
then became the first sea creatures. Sedna sank to the
ocean floor and became a sea goddess.Sedna
A walrus-like creature, Sedna had no
fingers, so she was pleased when
shamans dived down to the
ocean floor to comb out
her tangled hair.Sedna overboard
As Sedna’s father chopped off her fingers,
each of them turned into different sea
creatures, such as the seals, whales, and
fish that now inhabit the oceans.Seal-shaped artefact
One of Sedna’s gifts to the Inuit, the
seal supplied meat, skins, and blubber.
Inuit craftsmen carved artefacts shaped
like seals, such as this one in the
shape of a seal rising to the surface.Harpoon
Shamans summoned Sedna’s spirit and
struck it with an enchanted harpoon in
a ritual to ensure a good catch.142