Radiant owl, by Kenojuak Ashevak (b.1927 Canada, Ikirasaqa, Northwest Territories; d.2013), pioneer of modern Inuit art (Yes! The Inuit people also warn you, folks: the owls are not what they seem!) • via Bibliothèque Infernale on FB
Inuit (ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ‘the people’) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Greenland, Canada and Alaska.
Inuit mythology and Shamanism among Eskimo peoples can be seen as based on animist principles.
“Some Inuit (including Alaska Natives) believed that the spirits of their ancestors could be seen in the aurora borealis. Long winter months of waiting for caribou herds or sitting near breathing holes hunting seals gave birth to stories of mysterious and sudden appearance of ghosts and fantastic creatures. Some Inuit looked into the aurora borealis, or northern lights, to find images of their family and friends dancing in the next life. However, some Inuit believed that the lights were more sinister and if you whistled at them, they would come down and cut off your head. This tale is still told to children today. For others they were invisible giants, the souls of animals, a guide to hunting and as a spirit for the angakkuq to help with healing.” (Wiki)
