When Toys and Ornaments Come into Play: The Transformative Power of Miniatures in Canadian Inuit Cosmology

• Published in: Museum Anthropology
• Main Authors: Laugrand, Frédéric, Oosten, Jarich
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2008
• Subjects: inuit
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1548-1379.2008.00011.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1548-1379.2008.00011.x; https://anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1548-1379.2008.00011.x

Abstract Inuit have been making miniatures for thousands of years, and they are still very attractive to many Inuit today. In this paper, we explore the intrinsic ambiguity of Inuit miniatures. They seem like innocent toys or ornaments, but turn out to have great transformative power. As toys, they are instrumental in transforming children into adults; as ornaments, they may be charms or amulets; as amulets, they may be weapons against enemies; and as weapons or offerings, they may take life or generate it. Appearing as images of the world, they are in fact at its origin. Every living being traditionally derived its existence from a miniature image (the tarniq ). Miniatures evoke a play of deception, transforming what appears to be real into an image of the miniature.