Inuit Religion
Inuit religion has been around for as long as there have been Inuit. The Inuit religion is not the same as it was a thousand years ago. A thousand years ago the Inuit religion was basically referred to as animism. Animism is the belief that everything has a soul, including the animals (Watson, Bratton, no date). The Inuit religion of the past was centered on myths, rituals and beliefs. The Inuit religion of today has changed from worshiping and praying to several spiritual Gods to worshiping only God the Father in Heaven. The change in their beliefs started long before they ever laid eyes on the white man (R. Carleton, personal communication, 1-26-07). The Inuit Church service that this author feels that the Inuit have a real sense of the word religion. They care about the land and all that is on the land. They are thankful for each and everything God has given us. They make a person feel like their religion is the way it was meant to be.
The Traditional Culture and Religion The Inuit of a thousand years ago relied on their shaman for advice before making some decisions. The shaman was a respected member of the community and was most often a man. The shaman was believed to have magical powers, be able to cure sickness, tell the future, find lost objects and most importantly it was believed they could talk to the spirits. Shamans were sometimes feared because they may be evil. Shamans believed in the powerful spirits, such as Sedna who was the God of the sea beast. Breaking Sednas' rules would bring bad luck. This could result in the lack of sea animals being caught. If this happened, the shaman would have to go down to Sednas' ocean home and calm her by untangling her hair and releasing the animals that were caught there. It was believed that when Sedna was angry the animals became tangled in her hair (Inuit Mythology, 2002). The hunters believed that if they did not pray before, during and after a hunt, then their next hunt would be bad. Hunters
The Traditional Culture and Religion The Inuit of a thousand years ago relied on their shaman for advice before making some decisions. The shaman was a respected member of the community and was most often a man. The shaman was believed to have magical powers, be able to cure sickness, tell the future, find lost objects and most importantly it was believed they could talk to the spirits. Shamans were sometimes feared because they may be evil. Shamans believed in the powerful spirits, such as Sedna who was the God of the sea beast. Breaking Sednas' rules would bring bad luck. This could result in the lack of sea animals being caught. If this happened, the shaman would have to go down to Sednas' ocean home and calm her by untangling her hair and releasing the animals that were caught there. It was believed that when Sedna was angry the animals became tangled in her hair (Inuit Mythology, 2002). The hunters believed that if they did not pray before, during and after a hunt, then their next hunt would be bad. Hunters
References: Inuit Culture, (2002), The Big Myth, Retrieved 1-7-07 from: http://www.mythicjourneys.org/bigmyth/myths/english/eng_inuit_culture.htm Inuit Mythology, (2002), Answers.com, Retrieved 1-10-07 from: http://www.answers.com/topic/inuit-mythology Watson, Elliott and Bratton, Janikka, (no date).The Inuit, Retrieved 1-5-07 from: http://faculty.ehshouston.org/spoteet/World%20Religion%20Student%20Projects/ Inuits/inuits.html I am a divorced woman I have been blessed with a son and a daughter plus 6 grandchildren and counting ranging in age from 13 yrs to 9 months of age. My son grew up with ADDHD and he has just earned a degree in computer repairs. My daughter was recently engaged and is a graduate of beautician school and now is going to school to learn to be a massage therapist. My son now lives in Kansas, and my daughter in California (her birth state). I was raised in the country near Wichita, Kansas and have lived in California, Oregon, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Nevada and have been to Canada on several occasions and Mexico once. Give me a tornado over an earthquake any day. I have not been in a tornado but have observed one from a mile away and that was enough for me. I have not been in an earthquake per say, but I have felt the aftershocks and let me tell you, they never seem to end. Mind you I was in the middle of two fault lines and had an earthquake hit on both and I felt the aftershocks of BOTH. That was an experience I hope to never have again. During my lifetime I have held various jobs from a housekeeper at a 5 star hotel to working at a lumber mill as a manual stacker, and various service industry positions. One position I enjoyed was providing transportation to veterans to meet their medical appointments.