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:
Great Quote Steve - 'Bout says it all...........
JohnnyUK
"Kittinguharmiut"? Do you know anything about the provenance here? Google only brings up this post.
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."
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".
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
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