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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
                had to be found and brought back to the body. Illness was
                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>Resources Used</h4>

            <ul class="resources">
                <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>

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