Hunters Predators And Prey

Inuit hunting traditions are rich in perceptions, practices and stories relating to animals and human beings. Laugrand and Oosten examine key figures such as the raven, an animal that has a central place in Inuit culture as a creator and a trickster, and qupirruit, a category consisting of insects and other small life forms.

After these non-social and inedible animals, the authors discuss the dog, the companion of the hunter, and the fellow hunter, the bear, considered to resemble a human being. A discussion of the renewal of whale hunting accompanies the chapters about animals considered prey par excellence : the caribou, the seals, and the whale, symbol of the whole.

The volume concludes with a comparative analysis of the ethnographic data presented in the book. Review: This is a fascinating contribution to the ethnography of the circumpolar North and the growing literature on human-animal relationships. The authors have assembled a rich and authoritative compendium of Inuit knowledge and tradition aimed at the animals that surround them ...

Perhaps unique to any other collection it takes local animist categories seriously such that Inuit concepts take a position front and centre before European concepts such as 'spirit' or 'soul'. * David G. Anderson, University of Aberdeen The strength of the text lies in its use of extensive quotes from the Inuit.

This allows the Inuit voice to be heard clearly through the discourses of Western thought. * Christopher Trott, University of Manitoba