The bringer of light: the raven in Inuit tradition
In the western Arctic and in the northwest coast and Alaska, the significance of the raven as a creator and trickster is generally acknowledged. In the eastern Arctic there are no such elaborate mythical cycles concerning the bird. But the raven still plays an important role in myths and rituals. In...
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Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press (CUP)
2006
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0032247406005341 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0032247406005341 |
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crcambridgeupr:10.1017/s0032247406005341 2024-04-28T08:06:33+00:00 The bringer of light: the raven in Inuit tradition Oosten, Jarich Laugrand, Frédéric 2006 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0032247406005341 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0032247406005341 en eng Cambridge University Press (CUP) https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms Polar Record volume 42, issue 3, page 187-204 ISSN 0032-2474 1475-3057 General Earth and Planetary Sciences Ecology Geography, Planning and Development journal-article 2006 crcambridgeupr https://doi.org/10.1017/s0032247406005341 2024-04-02T06:53:49Z In the western Arctic and in the northwest coast and Alaska, the significance of the raven as a creator and trickster is generally acknowledged. In the eastern Arctic there are no such elaborate mythical cycles concerning the bird. But the raven still plays an important role in myths and rituals. In this paper, some features of the Alaskan complex and the position of the raven in the eastern Arctic are discussed. The basic features of the Alaskan raven complex are used as heuristic principles guiding research into the situation in the eastern Arctic region. It is argued that in many respects the raven is responsible for society but without being part of it. As a predator and a scavenger it is often associated with eating dirt, excrement and human flesh, and yet it created light, enabling people to see and invented tattooing, enabling women to marry. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic inuit Polar Record Alaska Cambridge University Press Polar Record 42 3 187 204 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Cambridge University Press |
op_collection_id |
crcambridgeupr |
language |
English |
topic |
General Earth and Planetary Sciences Ecology Geography, Planning and Development |
spellingShingle |
General Earth and Planetary Sciences Ecology Geography, Planning and Development Oosten, Jarich Laugrand, Frédéric The bringer of light: the raven in Inuit tradition |
topic_facet |
General Earth and Planetary Sciences Ecology Geography, Planning and Development |
description |
In the western Arctic and in the northwest coast and Alaska, the significance of the raven as a creator and trickster is generally acknowledged. In the eastern Arctic there are no such elaborate mythical cycles concerning the bird. But the raven still plays an important role in myths and rituals. In this paper, some features of the Alaskan complex and the position of the raven in the eastern Arctic are discussed. The basic features of the Alaskan raven complex are used as heuristic principles guiding research into the situation in the eastern Arctic region. It is argued that in many respects the raven is responsible for society but without being part of it. As a predator and a scavenger it is often associated with eating dirt, excrement and human flesh, and yet it created light, enabling people to see and invented tattooing, enabling women to marry. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Oosten, Jarich Laugrand, Frédéric |
author_facet |
Oosten, Jarich Laugrand, Frédéric |
author_sort |
Oosten, Jarich |
title |
The bringer of light: the raven in Inuit tradition |
title_short |
The bringer of light: the raven in Inuit tradition |
title_full |
The bringer of light: the raven in Inuit tradition |
title_fullStr |
The bringer of light: the raven in Inuit tradition |
title_full_unstemmed |
The bringer of light: the raven in Inuit tradition |
title_sort |
bringer of light: the raven in inuit tradition |
publisher |
Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
publishDate |
2006 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0032247406005341 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0032247406005341 |
genre |
Arctic inuit Polar Record Alaska |
genre_facet |
Arctic inuit Polar Record Alaska |
op_source |
Polar Record volume 42, issue 3, page 187-204 ISSN 0032-2474 1475-3057 |
op_rights |
https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1017/s0032247406005341 |
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Polar Record |
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42 |
container_issue |
3 |
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187 |
op_container_end_page |
204 |
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1797575992800182272 |