An Inuit legend about the origin of caribou:

Once upon a time there were no caribou on the earth. But then there was a man who wished for caribou, and he cut a great hole deep into the ground, and up through this hole came caribou, many caribou. The caribou came pouring out, till the earth was almost covered with them. And when the man thought there were caribou enough for mankind, he closed up the hole again. Thus the caribou came up on earth.

Told by Kibkarjuk and recorded by Knud Rasmussen, Report of the Fifth Thule Expedition, 1921–1924

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When the First Caribou were Tamed

A young man was once hunting caribou, but without killing them. He merely followed them, appearing every time they tried to escape from him; in that way he tired them.

In the end the animals were so exhausted that they no longer avoided him. Thus they became accustomed to his voice, and were no longer afraid of him.

At length the young man married, but still followed the caribou, which accumulated and became more and more numerous. The only time he came back to the house he had had built was when his clothing was worn out. His wife made new clothes for him, after which he went back to the caribou and kept on following them, so that they might become familiar with him. He was wise in his way of handling them, and as he never made them afraid or chased them, they became almost tame.

Summer and autumn passed, and winter came, but still the young man was with his caribou, which were now multiplying, while other herds joined his. Then he moved his tent out to the herd, and thus he became the first caribou herdsman.

Atârnaq, Alaskan Eskimo, The Alaskan Eskimos, by Knud Rasmussen, Report of the Fifth Thule Expedition 1921-24

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Mother of the Caribou

Some old folk believe that the mother of the sea beasts rules over all the animals we hunt, the caribou as well. But others hold a different view. They declare that there were no caribou at the time when Takanaluk lived on earth; and therefore she hates the caribou, and they have another mother, “atianik ikveqarput”: “they have another with whom they are”. In the days when Takanaluk lived on earth, men wore clothes made from eider duck and fox, and did not use skins of caribou at all.

It is said that at the time when the sea beasts were first made, there were no caribou on the earth; but then an old woman went up inland and made them. Their skins she made from her breeches, so that the lie of the hair followed the same pattern as her breeches. But the caribou was given teeth like other animals; at first it had tusks as well. It was a dangerous beast, and it was not long before a man was killed while hunting. Then the old woman grew frightened, and went up inland again and gathered together the caribou she had made. The tusks she changed into antlers, the teeth in the front of the jaw she knocked out, and when she had done this, she said to them:

“Land beasts such as you must keep away from men, and be shy and easily frightened.”

And then she gave them a kick on the forehead, and it was that which made the hollow one can see now in the forehead of all caribou. The animals dashed away, and were very shy thereafter. But then it was found that they were too swift; no man could come up with them, and once more the old woman had to call them all together. This time she changed the fashion of the hair, so that all did not lie the same way. The hair of the belly, under the throat and flanks, was made to lie in different directions, and then the animals were let loose once more. The caribou were still swift runners, but they could not cleave the air as rapidly as before, because the hair stood in the way, and men could now overtake them and kill them when they used certain tricks.

Afterwards, the old woman went to live among the caribou, she stayed with them and never returned to the haunts of men, and she is called, the Mother of the Caribou, “tuktut ikviat” or “the one with whom the caribou are”.

Told by Orulo, Report of the fifth Thule Expedition 1921-24

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