Ijiraq (mythology)
Encyclopedia
In Inuit mythology
the ijiraq (icon or ˈ ) is a sort of shape shifter who kidnaps children and hides them away and abandons them. The inuksugaq (or inukshuk
) of stone allow these children to find their way back if they can convince the ijiraq to let them go.
In North Baffin dialects ijiraq means Shape Shifter. While Tariaksuq appear like a half-man half-caribou monster, an Ijiraq can appear as any form it chooses, making it particularly deceptive. When you are hunting somewhere that Ijirait (plural) inhabit, you will see them in the corner of your eye for a fleeting moment (like tariaksuq, shadow people). If you try to observe them directly however, they are completely elusive. They are sometimes helpful, sometimes fatally deceptive. One of the most noted places in the arctic for these shape shifters (and tariaksuq) sightings is the Freeman's Cove area of Tuktusirvik (place to hunt caribou), Bathurst Island. This rich oasis is surrounded in a horseshoe pattern by inactive volcanic mountains. Freeman's Cove is most noted in history as a stopover for the ship the Intrepid, and also for the failed attempts by the infamous modern-day explorer and eccentric Cory K. Buott to settle the area.
The Ijirait are said to inhabit somewhere between two worlds; not quite inside this one, nor that one. Inuit further south than the North Baffin group used to hold to a belief that some Inuit went too far north in the chase for game, and became trapped between the world of the dead and the world of the living thus became the Ijirait (or Tariaksuq?). To a small handful of surviving elders in the South Baffin Region that are old enough to still have knowledge of these beliefs, Inuit that are settled in Resolute Bay and Grise Fiord are these shape shifters or shadow people, because they went too far north. Some elders will avoid being in presence of extreme-northern inuit, fearing they are evil Ijirait or Tariaksuq.
The home of the Ijirait is said to be cursed, and one will lose their way, even if they have good sense on the land. Buott and his wife Enoogoo were said to be out hunting once on the small peninsula across the bay from Freeman's Cove; and while Buott was known locally as someone who never lost his way even in the most adverse conditions, it was said he became completely turned around. While he and his wife had been there before, and they could clearly see the ocean on both side of where they were camped, Buott had to closely follow the trail of disturbed shale and rock to get back to their main camp -where their four children were alone, a mere 5 miles away, and clearly visible on the horizon. When Enoogoo and Buott finally returned to their children, they discovered an enormous 11 foot Polar Bear was circling the camp, sizing their children up for a meal!
Another famously skilled Inuit hunter Mark Amarualik, also of Resolute Bay, was said to have experienced this disorientation in the same place on a hunting trip a year before.
The Inuit believe the Ijirait do this to confuse Inuit (people), and to keep them from moving into their areas. It is believed locally that is why Buott experienced this disorientation. Tariaksuq apparently play these tricks also.
The plausible explanation to this unusual phenomena in the home of the Ijirait is likely related to large deposits of sour-gas, of which can be disturbed by simply walking over top of the pockets, causing them to expel the toxic gas hydrogen sulphide. Buott and Enoogoo made reference in their journals of in-explicable gatherings of a variety of animal remains in seemingly random and mysterious piles. This collaborates with the thought that the gas is responsible for these occurrences. Gas and sulphur smoke have been reported in the area as well as hot water springs discovered by the Amarualik (meaning wolf-like) family; all of which could cause a "mirage" causing to the traveller to see things such as Ijirait and Tariaksuq. The gas vapour or pockets low in oxygen could also account for hallucinations/sensations of being watched.
Inuit mythology
Inuit mythology has many similarities to the religions of other polar regions. Inuit traditional religious practices could be very briefly summarised as a form of shamanism based on animist principles....
the ijiraq (icon or ˈ ) is a sort of shape shifter who kidnaps children and hides them away and abandons them. The inuksugaq (or inukshuk
Inukshuk
An inuksuk is a stone landmark or cairn built by humans, used by the Inuit, Inupiat, Kalaallit, Yupik, and other peoples of the Arctic region of North America. These structures are found from Alaska to Greenland...
) of stone allow these children to find their way back if they can convince the ijiraq to let them go.
In North Baffin dialects ijiraq means Shape Shifter. While Tariaksuq appear like a half-man half-caribou monster, an Ijiraq can appear as any form it chooses, making it particularly deceptive. When you are hunting somewhere that Ijirait (plural) inhabit, you will see them in the corner of your eye for a fleeting moment (like tariaksuq, shadow people). If you try to observe them directly however, they are completely elusive. They are sometimes helpful, sometimes fatally deceptive. One of the most noted places in the arctic for these shape shifters (and tariaksuq) sightings is the Freeman's Cove area of Tuktusirvik (place to hunt caribou), Bathurst Island. This rich oasis is surrounded in a horseshoe pattern by inactive volcanic mountains. Freeman's Cove is most noted in history as a stopover for the ship the Intrepid, and also for the failed attempts by the infamous modern-day explorer and eccentric Cory K. Buott to settle the area.
The Ijirait are said to inhabit somewhere between two worlds; not quite inside this one, nor that one. Inuit further south than the North Baffin group used to hold to a belief that some Inuit went too far north in the chase for game, and became trapped between the world of the dead and the world of the living thus became the Ijirait (or Tariaksuq?). To a small handful of surviving elders in the South Baffin Region that are old enough to still have knowledge of these beliefs, Inuit that are settled in Resolute Bay and Grise Fiord are these shape shifters or shadow people, because they went too far north. Some elders will avoid being in presence of extreme-northern inuit, fearing they are evil Ijirait or Tariaksuq.
The home of the Ijirait is said to be cursed, and one will lose their way, even if they have good sense on the land. Buott and his wife Enoogoo were said to be out hunting once on the small peninsula across the bay from Freeman's Cove; and while Buott was known locally as someone who never lost his way even in the most adverse conditions, it was said he became completely turned around. While he and his wife had been there before, and they could clearly see the ocean on both side of where they were camped, Buott had to closely follow the trail of disturbed shale and rock to get back to their main camp -where their four children were alone, a mere 5 miles away, and clearly visible on the horizon. When Enoogoo and Buott finally returned to their children, they discovered an enormous 11 foot Polar Bear was circling the camp, sizing their children up for a meal!
Another famously skilled Inuit hunter Mark Amarualik, also of Resolute Bay, was said to have experienced this disorientation in the same place on a hunting trip a year before.
The Inuit believe the Ijirait do this to confuse Inuit (people), and to keep them from moving into their areas. It is believed locally that is why Buott experienced this disorientation. Tariaksuq apparently play these tricks also.
The plausible explanation to this unusual phenomena in the home of the Ijirait is likely related to large deposits of sour-gas, of which can be disturbed by simply walking over top of the pockets, causing them to expel the toxic gas hydrogen sulphide. Buott and Enoogoo made reference in their journals of in-explicable gatherings of a variety of animal remains in seemingly random and mysterious piles. This collaborates with the thought that the gas is responsible for these occurrences. Gas and sulphur smoke have been reported in the area as well as hot water springs discovered by the Amarualik (meaning wolf-like) family; all of which could cause a "mirage" causing to the traveller to see things such as Ijirait and Tariaksuq. The gas vapour or pockets low in oxygen could also account for hallucinations/sensations of being watched.