She was busy sewing patches to her soles and heels… She was soon done. As dusk darkened the sky, large snowflakes started to come down. The freshly fallen snow was wet. Arnatuinnaq exclaimed, “It’s snowing big snowflakes and here I was planning to go on a visit tomorrow… Our things are too close to the side of the tent. They’re going to get ruined!”
Night had fallen. They undressed for bed and, knowing they had to leave early the next day, went to sleep.
10 A DAUGHTER IS ADOPTED
They awoke with the rising sun, had some tea, and prepared to leave. Aqiarulaaq came in and said, “Qatannguuk ai! I’m going to look for a girl to adopt and I’m not coming back empty-handed.”
“Good for you!” said Sanaaq. “You’re lucky she was promised to you!”
They set off, all three of them. A few dogs tagged along, the same ones. On the way they saw some ukpiit. A male and its mate came very close… One of the two sank its claws into a dog while letting out a shriek.
“Au!”
It swooped down on the women several times. They were terrified, not having even a rifle. Seeing it prepare to dive again, they flipped their hoods over their heads… Arnatuinnaq tried her best to hit it with a stone but missed. Qumaq clung to her aunt’s skirt for dear life, so much so that she ripped it off.
“Qumaq!” exclaimed Arnatuinnaq. “You’ve made a big rip in my skirt by hanging on so tightly! It’s torn to pieces now and we’re almost at our hosts’ place!”
Just then, the two snowy owls dive-bombed the dogs again. One even stripped some fur off one of them. The Inuit started walking again to get away from the owls. As they walked, Arnatuinnaq said to Aqiarulaaq, “Look at the rip that Qumaq made. When one of the owls went after us, she clung to me for protection, even though I too was very afraid…”
They came within sight of Ningiukuluk’s home. The oldest of Ningiukuluk’s daughters spotted them and cried out, “Over there I can see people coming. They’ve got a child with them. It’s probably Qumaq!”
“Ai!” shouted back Ningiukuluk.
“They’re close. They’re arriving. They’re coming in.”
Aqiarulaaq entered first and said, “We’re paying a visit, Ningiukuluk! Ai! Let’s shake hands!”
“Ai! You’ve just got here? Let’s shake hands! Qumaq! And your mother?”
“She’s at home!”
All three of her daughters were eager to play with Qumaq. There was Akutsiaq, the oldest, Aanikallak, the younger one, and Tajarak, the youngest.
“Let’s play, Qumaq!” exclaimed Aanikallak.
But no sooner had her daughter spoken than Ningiukuluk broke in, “First have something to eat!”
“Have some of this ai! Qumaq!” said Aanikallak. “Over there, eat some mattaq. Use the knife!”
“Sure!”
Aqiarulaaq spoke again. “Ningiukuluk! I wish to talk to you. I’ve come on this visit to adopt one of your daughters, Aanikallak, because I really want to have her… I don’t have a daughter of my own.”
“Ai! On the one hand, I’d rather not give her away. On the other, I’m not so fond of her because she often wets her bed and I’m ashamed of her.”
“I truly wish to have her. Some time ago you sort of promised her to me. So now I’m insisting. I want her to help me out, Ningiukuluk!”
“I no longer really care for her, but the other ones, her two sisters, I certainly can’t give them away… Go ahead! Take her!”
Aqiarulaaq started recounting the latest news. “We saw some Big Eyebrows arrive. They’ve even begun to build a home for themselves on our land… That’s all I have to say for now. We’re going back this very day… Aanikallak! I’ve adopted you, so you’ll be following us!”
“No! No! Aaa!” The poor little girl began to cry.
Qumaq looked her straight in the eyes and even tried to offer her some mattaq, hoping to console her. She kissed her again and again.
“Don’t cry, little girl!” She added, “Look! There’s a little willow ptarmigan on the ground… Let’s play, just the two of us. Let’s have fun looking around outside!”
“No! No!” Aanikallak was still weeping.
Her new mother nonetheless prepared for the trip home.
“Qumaq, come here!” said Arnatuinnaq. “I’ll carry you on my back. Iirq! My skirt has been ripped apart on this side… I’ll have to sew it together first. Hand me a needle and some sinew. There we are, all done! Here’s your needle.”
“Thanks!” said Ningiukuluk.
They were now ready to leave. Aqiarulaaq took her new daughter by the hand but could not make her budge. The little girl stood her ground and stamped her feet while weeping and wailing. Her new family finally set off on the walk home, yet she still resisted despite efforts to console her. At long last, after many efforts, she calmed down.
They all arrived at their destination and Aqiarulaaq was questioned by Taqriasuk.
“Did you get a new daughter? She’ll try to go to sleep. Get her undressed for bed… She can have a place under my bedspread… And give her some tea.”
“Here you are. Aanikallak, drink some tea. Put a shirt on and try to sleep.”
She undressed her and slipped another shirt on.
“Ii! Autualu! It’s infested with fleas! Oh, it’s just crawling with those dirty fleas… Just look! Ii! This filthy shirt should be thrown away!”
It was tossed outside. The dogs came running and even started to fight over it. Kajualuk sank its teeth into the old shirt, making a popping sound as it crunched one flea after another.
Aqiarulaaq was now outside the tent.
“Uai! Dirty no-good mutt! It’ll probably have blocked intestines after eating that old rag.”
Everyone now tried to fall asleep. It was late autumn. A frosty slush was spreading over the shoreline and the calm ocean surface had a thin layer of frazil.
11 AN UNSUCCESSFUL HUNT IN THE QAJAQ
When they awoke early the next morning, it seemed impossible to go out in the qajaq because a thin layer of ice covered the sea near the shore. Qalingu, however, had found a small channel of open water, having been up and about very early. He took the qajaq down to the water’s edge with Jiimialuk’s help, also taking along a float and a harpoon. But he had forgotten something and yelled from the shore, “Bring me the harpoon line!”
Arnatuinnaq came running but fell headlong into the soft ice and sank into it. Trying to pull herself out, she said, “It’d be nice to have something I could grab hold of because I’m really stuck in this soft ice!”
Qalingu was now leaving in his qajaq across the thin ice. He saw a puiji and fired his rifle.
“Ii! Didn’t get it! I shot too far to the right and missed! Just like the last time!”
He then paddled away in his qajaq and thought about how to get home.
“Maybe I could go ashore on this point of land… Seems to be the best place.”
The women in his family were becoming very anxious. They watched from a hilltop.
“He probably won’t be able to land now,” said Sanaaq, “because there’s thin ice everywhere… But where’s the qajaq?”