Kittinguharmiut Song
As I recall once more
The time I drifted out
On an off-shore wind
And believed I was in danger,
I recall again my fears,
Those small ones I thought so big,
For all the things I hadn’t yet
Accomplished in my life.
Yet there is only one big thing
That truly matters: to live
To see the great day that dawns
And the light that fills the world.
A Traditional Kittinguharmiut Song (as adapted by Gerard Cox)
Great Quote Steve - 'Bout says it all...........
ReplyDeleteJohnnyUK
"Kittinguharmiut"? Do you know anything about the provenance here? Google only brings up this post.
ReplyDeleteGerry said: "Another piece I like very much follows. It's my reworking of a literal translation; unfortunately, I've lost its source. I came across it when I was doing research on hunting practices in the Polar region."
ReplyDeleteA more lengthy version can be found in Nick Jans excellent book The Last Light Breaking. "Song from the Kitlinguharmiut (Copper Eskimo), The Report of the Fifth Thule Expedition 1921-1924".
ReplyDeleteAnonymous is correct, and Nick Jans cites Knud Rasmussen's Report of the Fifth Thuyle Expedition 1921-24" as the source. The song can be found in Rasmussen's "The Intellectual Culture of the Copper Eskimos," IX, 53.
ReplyDeleteBest,
Gerry