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            <h1>Inuit Religion</h1>

            <h3>Modern Inuit Religion</h3>

            <p>

                There are two main religions practiced in the modern Inuit

                culture: Shamanism and Christianity. Since the arrival of

                missionaries, the majority of Inuits have converted to Christianity.

                I will be focusing on traditional Inuit religion, and how it is

                likely to affect interactions with modern Inuit people.

            </p>

            <h3>Worship of Nature</h3>

            <p>

                The Inuit religion has a very complex system of nature worship.

                Both men and animals have souls, and all are spiritually connected.

                In the religion, the universe is at harmony with it's elements, and

                the powers of nature possess a neutral position towards man. The Inuit

                believe that that if evil, such as bad hunting, bad weather, or illness

                happens, that the source is likely to be found in people's bad behavior.

                The Inuit do not have sacred buildings, nature is sacred, and the Inuit

                are children of nature. However, to the Inuit, life is not a paradise,

                man's capability to do evil represents a constant threat to harmony.

            </p>

            <h3>Life After Death</h3>

            <p>

                The Inuit believe that life is eternal. To the Inuit, death is a

                transformation, from one world to another. The transformation did

                not happen instantly, but was believed to take a year or more to

                happen. In the Inuit religion, there is no "hell," there is only

                a world where seal meat and berries are plentiful.

            </p>

            <h3>Souls</h3>

            <p>

                In the Inuit religion, it was believed that a human had not one,

                but several souls. When a person became ill, it was a sign that

                one or more of the souls had left the body. To be cured, the souls

                considered a "small death."

            </p>

            <h3>Amulets</h3>

            <p>

                As protection against illness and death, Inuits possessed several

                amulets. These amulets were worn hidden in amulet harnesses, hair

                ribbons, or hidden in houses and boats. A persons would be likely

                to have 10 or more amulets. The amulets only have their power while

                they remain hidden from other people. The amulets were made from

                almost anything, including small pieces of bone, teeth, wooden

                figures, stones, bird wings, and dried intestines. Loosing an amulet

                was very serious, and something to be avoided at all costs.

            </p>

            <p class="centeredImg">

                <img src="images/general/iws_inart500.jpg" alt="Inuit Amulets" />

                <br />

                <br />

                Inuit Amulets (source:

                <a href="http://www.civilization.ca/tresors/art_inuit/images/inart500.jpg">

                    http://www.civilization.ca/

                </a>)

            </p>

            <h3>The Shaman</h3>

            <p>

                A shaman in the Inuit religion was known as an Angakok. Spirits ruled

                nature, and the Inuit had to behave correctly and interpret the spirits'

                mysterious ways in order to survive. A person who had these skills was

                called the Angakok. Very few people had the gift of becoming the Angakok,

                and it took years of training to become one.

            </p>

            <p>

                The Inuit believed that the Angakok had the power to influence events

                such as the weather, food supplies, and illnesses. The Angakok was

                seen as possessing the abilities of curing the sick, controlling nature,

                and predicting future events.

            </p>

            <p>

                To get in touch with the spiritual world, the Angakok had to go into a

                trance. Laying on a plank bed in the house with his hands and feet tied,

                he would be able to free his spirit from his body. He would then be

                able to fly through the air, and search for the sick person's missing soul.

            </p>

            <h3>Beliefs</h3>

            <p>

                Beliefs ensure that values are practiced, followed, honored, and passed

                on. There are beliefs that are told to children to ensure that they

                follow a strict code of conduct. For example, children are told that

                throwing sand near water will create rain. This story is told to teach the

                belief that you do not harm another, and that you show respect. The logic

                goes like this: Most children enjoy playing near water, and there is

                usually sand near water. If a child threw sand in the air, it was very

                likely that another child would get sand in their eyes, their hair,

                and on their body. This story helps to build up the belief that you do

                not harm another and show respect.

            </p>

            <h3>Effects of Religion on Modern Inuit Culture</h3>

            <p>

                Because of their heritage, modern Inuit are more likely to show a high

                reverance for nature, so, when communicating in their culture, it would

                be wise to show a strong respect for nature.

            </p>

            <p>

                Another effect of their religion is that stories are used to teach

                lessons to children, which shows that the Inuit have some elements

                of a high-context culture, which will not approach an issue head-on,

                but will make their point indirectly.

            </p>

            <p>

                The use of stories in teaching children beliefs also implies that it

                would be acceptable to use religion as proof when persuading someone.

                This is also shown by their very strong ties to religion, such as the

                people becoming ill because one or more of their souls have been lost.

            </p>

            <h4>Sources</h4>

            <ul>

                <li>

                    <a href="http://www.sacred-texts.com/nam/inu/eft/index.htm">

                        http://www.sacred-texts.com/nam/inu/eft/index.htm

                    </a>

                </li>

                <li>

                    <a href="http://www.eastgreenland.com/database.asp?lang=eng&num=604">

                        http://www.eastgreenland.com/database.asp?lang=eng&num=604

                    </a>

                </li>

                <li>

                    <a href="http://nnlm.gov/pnr/ethnomed/inupiaq.html">

                        http://nnlm.gov/pnr/ethnomed/inupiaq.html

                    </a>

                </li>

            </ul>