A chronicle of the lives and culture of the Tikigaq people of Point Hope, Alaska, is based on a long series of poems that detail the ritual year and its stories. By the author of The Things That Were Said of Them.
| ||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
British poet and ethnographer Lowenstein has done research among the Tikigaq people of Point Hope, Alaska, for nearly 20 years. For three seasons he served as a crewman in a skinboat during the whale hunt; here he introduces the village, the oldest continuous settlement on the continent, and its topography. From the storyteller Asatchaq, Lowenstein heard about the whale myth and the elaborate rituals of the hunt, which he retells in poems in these pages. According to the myth, the Tikigaq peninsula was once a whale-like creature; after it was killed by a harpooner, it lived on as both body and spirit and remains a source of sustenance and the focus of worship. The rituals for the hunt still constitute an extended drama that begins in autumn and culminates with the springtime hunt. In a lengthy narrative poem, Lowenstein reconstructs the hunt as it occurred prior to contact with Europeans. This vivid portrait of an ancient culture is a remarkable blend of poetry and anthropology. Illustrations.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
This is a wonderful little book about the annual whale hunt of the Tikigaq people of northern Alaska's Point Hope, the oldest continuously settled Native American site on the continent. The first part includes an elegant description of ritual and mythology associated with the whale hunt. The second part describes the whale cult and the hunt in terms of the annual cycle, hunting patterns, and thought systems. Following is narrative poetry of the hunt, an effective attempt to reproduce the Tikigaq storytelling medium. The book is based both on personal fieldwork conducted by the author during the 1970s and the notes of Froelich Rainey, an archaeologist who worked in the area during the 1940s. Recommended for academic and public libraries.
- John M. Weeks, Univ. of Minnesota Lib., Minneapolis
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
- John M. Weeks, Univ. of Minnesota Lib., Minneapolis
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great look into the Inuit Culture,
By A Customer
This review is from: Ancient Land, Sacred Whale: The Inuit Hunt, Its Rituals and Poetry (Paperback)
This is a great book about the Inuit culture, specifically the whale hunts (obviously). The author covers the traditions, the rituals of the whale hunt itself, as well as the myths and legends of the people. Very well researched and written, it's a great look into the culture.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
