Customer Reviews

The Shaman's Nephew: A Life in the Far North

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In The Shaman's Nephew: A Life In The Far North, Inuit shaman Simon Tookoome and author/storyteller Sheldon Oberman collaborate to provide a unique translation of both Inuktitut and oral traditions. Illustrated in full color throughout by self-taught Tookoome, The Shaman's Nephew offers distinct and animated art showcasing twenty-eight passages describing various and diverse aspects of Inuit life including the naming of children, child-rearing, hunting, drumming in Inuit culture, the mysteries of Shamanism, and Tookoome's own inspiration for his art. The Shaman's Nephew is highly recommended reading for students of Native American studies in general, and the Inuit culture in particular.

This book surprised me as I first saw it as an endearing picture book talking about igloos. But when I read it, it became a real eye opener. With Tookoome's humble way of telling stories I feel that I got a very clear picture of what it was like for him to go from living the most real of lifestyles on the land, to a contrived one, being forced to live in a settlement. Tookoome tells a sad yet beautiful tale that will make you think about what white man (Kabloonaq) has done in the name of "progress", and how it has forever altered the course of how life was intended to be lived.