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Kayak and Drum: Spectacle in the Inuit Culture

The Inuit inhabit northern locations, ranging from Alaska to Greenland. The lives of these communities vary, but all have a central focus around hunting. Inuit depend on it for survival because the people live in such a harsh environment where agriculture is not possible. An important feature of Inuit communities are sport activities, which promote a strong connection to the community, as well as a tie to the land. Games were originally designed as a way to help provide the necessary skills to survive on the land. For example, kayak competitions are a way to train for survival and prove one’s skills.

In the Arctic, families and communities come together to witness public spectacles that revolve around the use of a drum (qilaut), the principal instrument used to create music and during festivals. Drum dances are a central feature of festivals and religious ceremonies. These visual spectacles foster the aggregation of the entire community. Gathering houses, known as qalgiq in the Eastern Canadian Arctic dialect, were important to the culture of the Inuit people as they were also used for a variety of spectacles including drum dances.

(M. Brown ’20)

Shaman Entering the Drum Dance

Shaman Entering the Drum Dance

Luke Anguhadluq, 1976
Silkscreen on paper
30 x 22 in. (76 cm. x 56 cm.)
Robert and Judith Toll Collection, 2009.7.141

During a shamanic ceremony, the people gather in a qalgiq (gathering house), with men sitting in the front and women sitting behind. Led by a Shaman, this ceremony is a very spiritual, even out of body, experience. A drum, the key instrument, is used to control the pace of the situation. As the only musical instrument employed by the Inuit, the drum plays a crucial role in various spectacles, including drum dance competitions and athletic activities such as the "finger pull."

(M. Brown)

A Time for Celebration

A Time for Celebration

Luke Anguhadluq, 1974
Stonecut and stencil on paper
25 x 39 in. (64 cm. x 99 cm.)
Robert and Judith Toll Collection 30, 2009.7.140 

This drawing depicts the finger pull, a traditional game that is still played today. It consists of two youths interlocking fingers and pulling in opposite directions until one opponent loses his grip and his fingers slip, thus becoming the loser. This athletic activity enhances one’s endurance and grit, two qualities that are critical to climbing and overall survival. Celebratory singing, dancing, and drumming often occur simultaneously alongside these games, represented and emphasized here by the enlarged drum. The circle of spectators surrounding the two participants illustrates how these competitions connect individuals to their shared identity and community.

(B. Wrubel)

Model Kayak with Wooden Figure, Tools, and Harpoons tipped with Ivory

Model Kayak with Wooden Figure, Tools, and Harpoons tipped with Ivory

Unidentified Inuk Artist, ca. 20th century
Skin on wood
14 3/4 x 2 in. (37 cm. x 5 cm.)
Gift of Miriam MacMillan, 1974.1.11.1f

The kayak is one of the most iconic objects associated with the Inuit to outsiders, as indicated by its many reproduction in photography or as souvenirs in the form of miniature models. Kayaks are an integral part of the Inuit daily life for subsistence hunting of seals and other marine mammals. One performative and community-building way of kayak training for boys and young men is to organize public competitions in front of the community to test who can paddle the fastest, roll the smoothest, and throw most accurately from a kayak. These competitions, particularly capsizing and rolling—a crucial survival technique, fascinated Europeans since their first encounters in the 17th century and evolved into a popular performative spectacle to non-Inuit. Today, kayak competitions still occur regularly in Greenland, a source of national pride that ensures the traditions and heritage of the Inuit persist in modernity.

(B. Wu)

Rolling a Kayak

Rolling a Kayak

Reginald Wilcox
Negative
3000.10.235

The kayak is one of the most iconic objects associated with the Inuit to outsiders, as indicated by its many reproduction in photography or as souvenirs in the form of miniature models. Kayaks are an integral part of the Inuit daily life for subsistence hunting of seals and other marine mammals. One performative and community-building way of kayak training for boys and young men is to organize public competitions in front of the community to test who can paddle the fastest, roll the smoothest, and throw most accurately from a kayak. These competitions, particularly capsizing and rolling—a crucial survival technique, fascinated Europeans since their first encounters in the 17th century and evolved into a popular performative spectacle to non-Inuit. Today, kayak competitions still occur regularly in Greenland, a source of national pride that ensures the traditions and heritage of the Inuit persist in modernity.

(B. Wu)

Kayaks Returning to Cobb Harbor

Kayaks Returning to Cobb Harbor

Donald B. MacMillan
Hand Tinted Lantern Slide
4 x 3 1/4 x 1/4 in. (10 cm. x 8 cm. x 1 cm.)
Gift of Donald and Miriam MacMillan, 3000.32.1760

The kayak is one of the most iconic objects associated with the Inuit to outsiders, as indicated by its many reproduction in photography or as souvenirs in the form of miniature models. Kayaks are an integral part of the Inuit daily life for subsistence hunting of seals and other marine mammals. One performative and community-building way of kayak training for boys and young men is to organize public competitions in front of the community to test who can paddle the fastest, roll the smoothest, and throw most accurately from a kayak. These competitions, particularly capsizing and rolling—a crucial survival technique, fascinated Europeans since their first encounters in the 17th century and evolved into a popular performative spectacle to non-Inuit. Today, kayak competitions still occur regularly in Greenland, a source of national pride that ensures the traditions and heritage of the Inuit persist in modernity.

(B. Wu)

Bird Transformation

Bird Transformation

Unidentified Inuk Artist
Soapstone
7 7/8 x 5 7/8 x 1 15/16 in. (20 cm. x 15 cm. x 5 cm.)
Harry Z. and Ruth L. Sky Collection, 2010.8.3

The Inuktitut word for drum is qilaut, which according to anthropologist Knud Rasmussen means “that by means of which the spirits are called up.” Shamans, often shown in states of transformation, use drums to call up their helping spirits. The Bird Woman Drummer and Fox/Wolf Drummer are involved in this serious activity.

(Museum)

Fox/Wolf Drummer

Fox/Wolf Drummer

Nicholas Kringayark, 1982
Stone with antler
9 x 3 x 6 1/2 in. (23 cm. x 8 cm. x 17 cm.)
Robert and Judith Toll Collection, 2009.7.74

The Inuktitut word for drum is qilaut, which according to anthropologist Knud Rasmussen means “that by means of which the spirits are called up.” Shamans, often shown in states of transformation, use drums to call up their helping spirits. The Bird Woman Drummer and Fox/Wolf Drummer are involved in this serious activity.

(Museum)