Kiviok, The Most Powerful Shaman

 

It is believed that shamans or angokoqs are made and not born with some inherent powers. To the Inuit, everyone is born equal but what you do during your life will determine your lot. It is believed that the spirit world looks down upon the people, and will see a potential shaman by the white light the breaks through the darkness of the nether world. The spirit will then approach the Inuit and ask to dwell within the warmth and the light, in exchange the spirit will endow the Inuit with the power that such a spirit can control. The greater the light, the more spirits will be attracted and so it will continue. This is what happened a long time ago when the land was new.

A shaman known as Kiviok allowed spirits his light and warmth, and so he was endowed with the powers, many spirits came and none but evil was turned away. So he became the most powerful shaman known and went on a great many adventures as he traveled the land. I have listed I few that I have come to know.

 

Why There Are No Trees

One day as Kiviok traveled, he came upon a lake and as night was nearing, Kiviok made camp. Seeing how ice would form over the water, Kiviok decided to make a fire and so he took out his great axe and began to chop a tree for fuel.

As Kiviok chopped, a wood chip splashed into the water and a fish was born. The fish looking at Kiviok, mocked him and said he could see the sky as he looked up Kiviok's behind, for Kiviok was not much in substance.

Kiviok attempted to ignore the fish, but as more wood chips splashed into the water, they too became fish and mocked him even more.

Kiviok enraged began chopping everything, flying chips turned day to night while the sun was still up so much did Kiviok chop, and as each chip splashed into the lake, it turned into fish. Each different tree produced different kinds of fishes, from trout to char to grayling. Kiviok chopped and chopped when finally his rage abating, Kiviok looked around. Behold there were no more trees left, but all the lakes and seas were plentiful with fish.