Inuit Loon Carving
A long time ago, a boy and his sister lived with their mother in the wilderness. Their father was gone, but the boy was a great hunter, and he brought home plenty of game. He would give the animals to his mother, then the siblings would run off and play games together. Skinning and butchering and cooking all the time, the mother grew weary, and then resentful. There was no joy in her life, only work! If her son could no longer hunt, she thought, her life would be much easier. Then, she got a terrible idea.
Late one night, she he took a piece of blubber and rubbed it in the dirt. She laid it over the eyes of her son, and muttered an evil incantation. When the boy woke up the next morning, everything remained dark. He was blind!
After that, her workload decreased dramatically, just as she had hoped. She caught small animals to feed the family, giving the boy the bones to gnaw. One day, there was a huffing sound outside of their dwelling, and the boy knew immediately that it was a bear. He grabbed his bow and let an arrow fly. It hit home. "I killed a bear!" he shouted.
"You just hit a tree," said his mother. But later he could smell the bear meat cooking. Eventually, he got the worst scraps. It went on like this for years.
One day, the boy heard the call of a loon in the distance. It seemed to be calling to him, so he crawled towards the lake on his hands and knees. When he got to the shore, The loon spoke to him. It said, "Your mother did this to you. I am your friend, and I will help you. Climb onto my back, and hold on tight."
"You are too small!" Said the boy.
"Never mind," said the Loon. "Just do it. I am going to dive down into the lake. When you have to come up for air, give my feathers a shake." The boy did as he was told. As the Loon dived, it grew to a great size. The first time they resurfaced, the Loon asked the boy what he could see.
"I see light!" cried the boy. They dove again, and the next time they resurfaced, the boy could see clearly. He was beyond grateful. "Thank you!" he said to the Loon. "What can I do to repay you?"
"Just take care of the world," said the Loon. "And treasure all that you can see."
"I will. I promise." said the boy. He returned home, and when his mother saw that his sight was restored, she was so ashamed that she ran away and was never seen again.
This is just one of many versions of the story of the “Blind Boy and the Loon,” which is told all across the Arctic and the North Woods, from Alaska to Greenland. There are many variations, including some in which the boy and his sister become the Sun and the Moon. We don't know if this Inuit carving of a loon relates to the story or not, but the loon is certainly very magical! We have never seen one with these multiple peaks on its back. We like to think that it they represent the boy pulling at the feathers of the Loon as they are diving.
Small (4”) slate carving with live edges of the stone intact. Has the older “Eskimo” tag from the Canadian government.
A long time ago, a boy and his sister lived with their mother in the wilderness. Their father was gone, but the boy was a great hunter, and he brought home plenty of game. He would give the animals to his mother, then the siblings would run off and play games together. Skinning and butchering and cooking all the time, the mother grew weary, and then resentful. There was no joy in her life, only work! If her son could no longer hunt, she thought, her life would be much easier. Then, she got a terrible idea.
Late one night, she he took a piece of blubber and rubbed it in the dirt. She laid it over the eyes of her son, and muttered an evil incantation. When the boy woke up the next morning, everything remained dark. He was blind!
After that, her workload decreased dramatically, just as she had hoped. She caught small animals to feed the family, giving the boy the bones to gnaw. One day, there was a huffing sound outside of their dwelling, and the boy knew immediately that it was a bear. He grabbed his bow and let an arrow fly. It hit home. "I killed a bear!" he shouted.
"You just hit a tree," said his mother. But later he could smell the bear meat cooking. Eventually, he got the worst scraps. It went on like this for years.
One day, the boy heard the call of a loon in the distance. It seemed to be calling to him, so he crawled towards the lake on his hands and knees. When he got to the shore, The loon spoke to him. It said, "Your mother did this to you. I am your friend, and I will help you. Climb onto my back, and hold on tight."
"You are too small!" Said the boy.
"Never mind," said the Loon. "Just do it. I am going to dive down into the lake. When you have to come up for air, give my feathers a shake." The boy did as he was told. As the Loon dived, it grew to a great size. The first time they resurfaced, the Loon asked the boy what he could see.
"I see light!" cried the boy. They dove again, and the next time they resurfaced, the boy could see clearly. He was beyond grateful. "Thank you!" he said to the Loon. "What can I do to repay you?"
"Just take care of the world," said the Loon. "And treasure all that you can see."
"I will. I promise." said the boy. He returned home, and when his mother saw that his sight was restored, she was so ashamed that she ran away and was never seen again.
This is just one of many versions of the story of the “Blind Boy and the Loon,” which is told all across the Arctic and the North Woods, from Alaska to Greenland. There are many variations, including some in which the boy and his sister become the Sun and the Moon. We don't know if this Inuit carving of a loon relates to the story or not, but the loon is certainly very magical! We have never seen one with these multiple peaks on its back. We like to think that it they represent the boy pulling at the feathers of the Loon as they are diving.
Small (4”) slate carving with live edges of the stone intact. Has the older “Eskimo” tag from the Canadian government.
A long time ago, a boy and his sister lived with their mother in the wilderness. Their father was gone, but the boy was a great hunter, and he brought home plenty of game. He would give the animals to his mother, then the siblings would run off and play games together. Skinning and butchering and cooking all the time, the mother grew weary, and then resentful. There was no joy in her life, only work! If her son could no longer hunt, she thought, her life would be much easier. Then, she got a terrible idea.
Late one night, she he took a piece of blubber and rubbed it in the dirt. She laid it over the eyes of her son, and muttered an evil incantation. When the boy woke up the next morning, everything remained dark. He was blind!
After that, her workload decreased dramatically, just as she had hoped. She caught small animals to feed the family, giving the boy the bones to gnaw. One day, there was a huffing sound outside of their dwelling, and the boy knew immediately that it was a bear. He grabbed his bow and let an arrow fly. It hit home. "I killed a bear!" he shouted.
"You just hit a tree," said his mother. But later he could smell the bear meat cooking. Eventually, he got the worst scraps. It went on like this for years.
One day, the boy heard the call of a loon in the distance. It seemed to be calling to him, so he crawled towards the lake on his hands and knees. When he got to the shore, The loon spoke to him. It said, "Your mother did this to you. I am your friend, and I will help you. Climb onto my back, and hold on tight."
"You are too small!" Said the boy.
"Never mind," said the Loon. "Just do it. I am going to dive down into the lake. When you have to come up for air, give my feathers a shake." The boy did as he was told. As the Loon dived, it grew to a great size. The first time they resurfaced, the Loon asked the boy what he could see.
"I see light!" cried the boy. They dove again, and the next time they resurfaced, the boy could see clearly. He was beyond grateful. "Thank you!" he said to the Loon. "What can I do to repay you?"
"Just take care of the world," said the Loon. "And treasure all that you can see."
"I will. I promise." said the boy. He returned home, and when his mother saw that his sight was restored, she was so ashamed that she ran away and was never seen again.
This is just one of many versions of the story of the “Blind Boy and the Loon,” which is told all across the Arctic and the North Woods, from Alaska to Greenland. There are many variations, including some in which the boy and his sister become the Sun and the Moon. We don't know if this Inuit carving of a loon relates to the story or not, but the loon is certainly very magical! We have never seen one with these multiple peaks on its back. We like to think that it they represent the boy pulling at the feathers of the Loon as they are diving.
Small (4”) slate carving with live edges of the stone intact. Has the older “Eskimo” tag from the Canadian government.