Tuktu

Cape Dorset
Graphite, Coloured Pencil
26" x 20"

Once there was a young woman named Tyya who wandered far away from home. A thick fog rolled over the land and she soon became lost. A young caribou hunter named Etasack found her and brought her to the safety of his tent. The next morning, Etasack left for a hunt and warned Tyya not to allow anyone into the tent. However, an evil shaman came across the tent and tricked Tyya, transforming her into a white caribou. Upon Etasack’s return, he was distraught to find Tyya had disappeared. That night, Etasack dreamed of Tyya and learned the magic he would need to break the spell. The next day, the young hunter searched for the white caribou in the herd, spoke the spell, and returned her to her human form. Ever since, Inuit hunters have been kind to white caribou lest they be an enchanted person.

- From Churchill Wild, “The Legend of the Enchanted White Caribou,” and Elizabeth Cleaver’s children’s book, “The Enchanted Caribou.,” Oxford: Oxford UP.