Week 10 Essay: The Oral Storytelling Style of Inuit Folktales

Because the originally oral stories in the Eskimo Folk Tales unit were recorded by Rasmussen, the explorer, they had a very distincitive style of speech. Some of the stories, like "The Coming of Men, A Long, Long While Ago," have a very clear perspective. The oral style of storytelling was important to the folk tales because it made them sound more realistic and truthful. As part of this, the characters' names are quite different

The storyteller's perspective in "The Coming of Men, A Long, Long While Ago" makes it obvious that the storyteller is explaining the details he/she knows, and then he/she is upfront with the listener about not knowing some parts. "When did they find each other, and when had they grown up?" the storyteller asks. "I do not know," he/she finishes.

This oral storytelling style brings the readers into the lives of the Inuits and helps them to understand the culture. In the story of "Isigâligârssik," the storyteller explains one of the wizard's customs, saying, "When the wizard was about to call upon his spirits, it was his custom to call in through the window: 'Only the married men may come and hear.'" Also in this story, Rasmussen explains that the Inuits believed that the first dress worn by a small child would heal that child from physical harm when he/she grows up. The style is inclusive and it draws the readers in. In the story of "Nukúnguasik, who Escaped from the Tupilak,"Rasmussen teaches us that a Tupilak is a monster made from the bones of animals. The Tupilak is magical and is used to punish one's enemies. In a manner similar to a daughter telling her mother about her day, this style makes the stories easy to relate to.

 (Image information: "Tupilak" from Eskimo Folk-Tales by Knud Rasmussen, with illustrations by native Eskimo artists, 1921).

The unusual names in this unit are ones like Nukúnguasik, Qalagánguasê, and Isigâligârssik. Upholding the true names of the people that these stories are about, shows the integrity of the storyteller and further emphasizes the fact that the events in the folktales really happened.