Thursday, October 24, 2013

Hunter's Song

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)

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great Quote Steve - 'Bout says it all...........

JohnnyUK

Peculiar said...

"Kittinguharmiut"? Do you know anything about the provenance here? Google only brings up this post.

Steve Bodio said...

Gerry 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."

Anonymous said...

A 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".

Gerard H. Cox said...

Anonymous 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.
Best,
Gerry