The “Eye of the drum.†Past and Present of qilaujjarniq in the Canadian Central Arctic (Nunavut)

• Published in: Anthropos
• Main Author: Laugrand, Frédéric
• Other Authors: UCL - SSH/INCA - Institut des civilisations, arts et lettres
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Kalligram spol. s.r.o. 2018
• Subjects: Arctic; Nunavut; inuit
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2078.1/220237; https://doi.org/10.5771/0257-9774-2018-2-491

Abstract. – Today, the art of drum dancing is reviving in Nunavut. Drawing on various ethnographical experiences with a group of elders, this article approaches qilaujjarniq, drum dancing accompanied by people singing, putting forward not the audio but the visual code. I argue that the drum allows the drummer to see the deceased, this connection being strengthened by the pisiit (songs), which can bring the drummer to a state of joy as he reached another dimension in time and space. Finally, drum dancing offers a suitable context for the performer to express his personal style, which contributes to maintain the great variety of drumming traditions. [Inuit, drum, deceased, cosmology, songs, visual]