Tuktu and the Big Seal 1968

[Music] I want to tell you a story of the old days when people were different from now as you know we esos a great seal hunter in the past the seal gave to us most of what we needed to live through The Long Winter from the Feld we had all for cooked is eat fs and his skin made warm clothes to cover our bodies it would take a long time to tell about all the world all the useful things we receive from that truly he is our greatest death and without him we would all perish there are terrible stories I could tell of such bad times of the killing of dog and the death and hunger of our children our land is beautiful but it is all so harsh R and without that Sur steal life for the estimo in far off times was not [Music] possible I remember a long time ago when I was a young boy the winter had been long and FES were not pleas but one day my father returned from the hunt with a good big seal rsed in many weeks I remember how happy we were as we saw him from a long way off pulling the seal across the snow my father made a song about those far off times and this song I still remember I walked on the ice of this all were glowly all was quiet I heard only the thve of the wind as I walked on the ice of the sea I walked on the ice of the sea seal were blowing at the blo holes with joy I felt the Harpoon strike now I bring you a gift from the depths of the sea my father was a great hunter of n i liveed through him and SE because CED his eye I grew up to tread the same path and in my time I had killed many se but it was my father who taught me the secrets of ner he taught me how to use dogs to find the blo holds he told me that neter was a creature of Silence that he could hear the slightest noise next sh can he a flea jumping on the dog's back and said of course he was joking but at the time I almost believed him I remember thinking that if ner could hear one flee then our dogs who had many flees would surely drive him away [Music] Ste not come up through the ice to breathe or he will drown when the snow is deep his breathing holes are hidden from the eyes of the hunter but not from the sharp nose of a good estimo dark beneath the Deep Silence of good snow a SE will come up through the ice and the dogs will tell the hter where the blow hole is [Music] in those far off days my father made many points and S gave to he said with the sea goddess gives the hunter wonderful creatures let the hunter be thankful and his mouth blow us down in her honor all cre that would belong to said no she is jealous for them she will give up her children only to a skill for Hunter only to the hunter who was clever she give up her children in times of her anger there is famine in the land but in times of rent there is Seal weat for [Music] everyone [Music] there all dangers in the Arctic even for the har my mother and two sisters would say nothing but I remember even as at Kylie waiting for my father and how anxiously the woman searched with their eyes for the first time of the return answered a southern Gale ored an open crevice in the ice an ice flow splitting up with a warning all these bad things can happen and send an eimo to his death our history is full of such prent but when the hunters returned there was much rejoicing now the great hunder was over and the cooking pot would boil again [Music] l All Families share in the Good Fortune of the hunter my father higo became a meeting place after the hunt and my mother gave to each person a fair share of the seal a visitor would stand by the entrance and call out hereby somebody comes visiting and the visitor was then made worthy my father was a good both he took pride in Saving the best pieces of meat for his friend and no one in need left our empty handed my father said if the SE goddess give the hunter a seal let the hunter be thankful let the hunter honor the memory of NE come to my U and share with me the Bounty of sedna the sea come to my igloo and peast with me the oil under the part Burns b let the children sleep with full belly with the return of warmer weather NE renewed the water and pass G the open night B then look for his dark shape sometimes they will prob the snow for his blow hole and wait patiently nearby for him to appear now is the time for the hunter to think like NE to have brought head like the th for a [Music] de my father told me once about a very big sea always managed to elude the Haroon his tough old skin was said to be covered with stars from The Many wounds he had received in his long life said my father I do not know how true this is or whether such a seal ever live but one thing I can be sure of I remember once trying to Harpoon a certain big seal it happened a long time ago I had climbed to the top of the Snow Hill and looked over the Frozen sea I noticed the SE on the ice of it one carefully I watched him every now and then he would raise his head to to make sure that no danger there then he will sleep for a [Music] little this was a fine big seal full of good meat and oil as I told you a hunter must think the seal the seal has poor iight but if the upright shape of a man comes toward it the seal will slide quickly into the water and the hunter will go hungry you must act like the you must pretend to grow fle at a tail you must raise your head look about then pretend to sleep all these tricks I used as I prep closer and closer to [Music] next I am no brother do not leave me I am like you I sleep on the ice I raise my head rarely I look about for Ed but see only my bre don't not leave I come closer closer to you that is feel I raise my head do not be alone at this moment I am your brother do not be afraid as I come to you do not leave me at this moment I am me do not do not slide quickly into the water do not be afraid as I come to do not leave what I repat I come to [Music] you [Music] when I struck with the Haroon I missed n was too quick for me and vanished into the [Music] sea but he came up to breathe again in another place not far away I struck quickly this time I had [Music] him oh he was large and strong as a bear he tried hard to feed himself but I was strong too and managed to pull him out Al last with a sudden twist he tore himself free down he slid into the water I saw the scar on his body and knew well enough who he was mine was not the first half to P I never saw him again nor did I ever hear of him being C the next day I he a he was smaller but he was fat enough and in the evening I invited my friend to share the [Music] feast and that is the way we used to [Music] live [Music] [Laughter] [Music] oh [Music] [Laughter] I