ᑐᓗᒐᖅ - Raven - Tulugaq

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2020-09-27 14:25

Ravens are one of the most common birds in the Arctic Circle. They also remain all year round, enduring the harsh arctic winters by scavenging food from polar bears and humans. In inuktitut the raven is called Tulugaq and like a lot of other cultures is thought of as a mischievous pest, due to its persistence at stealing unattended foods. But Tulugaq is also respected for its ability to endure the winters of the arctic alongside the humans.

To go along with the mischievous nature of Tulugaq an amusing Inuit story tells of how a young raven fell in love with two geese and wished to marry them. They resisted, telling the silly bird that he wouldn't be able to keep up with them on their long migratory journeys. But the young Tulugaq was persistent, as ravens always are and convinced them he could do it.

Of course, that silly black bird could not keep up with the geese on their journey south. After several hours the geese landed on the water to rest their wings, but the Raven couldn't do so as Tulugaq do not know how to swim.

The silly Tulugaq begged his wives to carry him between their two wings so he could rest, and the two geese obliged. But they soon grew tired from the weight of the raven and let him slip into the frigid arctic ocean. As he sunk deeper he was transformed into Tulugarnaq, a small black mollusc with two flapping wing-like appendages that is common in the oceans.