Inuit Lore and Mythology Trivia Quiz

Answer: the souls of their ancestors

Many Inuit look for their ancestors in the Northern Lights. They believe the departed dance in the skies. But there are also negative myths about the lights. If someone sings or whistles while the lights were moving about the sky, it is considered an invitation for the spirit of death to come and cut off your head.

Answer: under the water

Sedna is believed to reside under the ocean. The Inuit have traditionally obtained most of their food from the ocean and thus Sedna is believed to preside over fertility, food, and health.

Answer: brother and sister

Annigan is the moon and his sister Malina is the sun. The Inuit believe Annigan is always chasing Malina to seek revenge for an ancient transgression. When he starts getting tired, he starts to get skinny. Then comes a short period when he must stop and eat and slowly grows fat again.

Answer: evil

A widespread practice of telling stories by the fires frequently involves ghosts. There is nothing nice about these entities. To meet up with one could cause death to you or to the whole tribe. Most descriptions tell of the ghost looking just like a man and thus it is hard to tell when you are talking to a ghost.

They believe that, if you look into the eyes of the ghost, you can tell he had no spirit.

Answer: animism

The Inuit belief system is a form of animism. They believe that all things are endowed with a spirit. This includes the sun, the ocean, the rocks, the polar bear etc. All things are thus deserving of respect.

Answer: false

This is a myth that has been handed down for centuries by the non-Inuit. This is far from the truth. The elderly were looked to for their wisdom. It was much more common to leave babies behind as new ones could be born when the season changed and the hunting got better. But even this was not a common practice; it happened only in desperate situations.

Answer: cracks in the sea ice

The Quallupilluit are believed to live in the sea nears cracks in the ice. The monsters are used as a warning by adults to children to never go to the sea alone. These monsters do not inhabit inland water, only the ocean water. And if a child is alone and near the water, a Quallupilluit will come up from the cracks in the ice and steal the child and they will never be seen again.

Answer: stars

The Inuit have always watched the skies carefully, as has most of mankind throughout the ages. They believe those beings who were tempestuous and did not heed the warnings of others were cursed to walk around the sky night after night forever. The Inuit traditionally lived in an area where any mistake or misfortune could spell the end to a whole camp.

Many of their stories concern the importance of being aware of your surroundings, not being impetuous, and always thinking one step ahead.

Answer: false

The Arctic cultures have strong taboos on incest and polygamy. Marriages often take place in springtime when clans are more mobile. Chance meetings between clans/tribes often end in a wedding. This practice bonds clans together in a familial way. Because of the huge expanses the Arctic cultures inhabit, there are always exceptions to every rule.

But taboos against polygamy and incest appear to be very strong in these cultures.

Answer: the polar bear

Nanuk is among the most highly valued animals in the Inuit societies. Many clans have myths of the polar bear being part human. They would often offer a prayer before killing one to thank the bear for the gifts he was about to bestow up them. Every part of the bear was used except for the liver. It was thrown away; they would not even feed it to their dogs.