Educational Media Reviews Online

Inuit Legends is a 2-disk CD audio recording. 13 actors are used to portray events and characters, which come from the traditional stories of the Inuit people. Five different stories are told in English on one disc and in Inuit on the other. The producers use Inuit songs, wind, water and animal sounds to enhance the storytelling. The English version has better sound quality than the Inuit version. Some of the problem may be attributed to the Inuit language itself, which has some sounds that do not articulate clearly into a microphone.

Inuit Legends captured my imagination, made me forget about the present, and moved me to a new reality in the cold, dark, harsh world of the far north. The songs greatly enhance the mood of the stories, and always the wind blows. A few Inuit words are used in the English Version, enough to tempt me to try and learn some Inuit by listening to a story in English and then hear it again in Inuit. I had hoped to also get cues from the raven calls and wolf howls but the Inuit version did not seem to use the animal sounds as much or in the same place in the story.

The harsh northern climate is also reflected in the general theme of these stories: Domestic Violence. In the first story a husband beats his wife until she runs away with her little sister. In the third a girl marries a man who turns out to be a Raven Spirit. When her father comes to save her he instead throws her overboard and hacks off her fingers and hands to save himself. In the fourth story a greedy husband practically starves his wife while hoarding fish for himself. And finally, when the whole community is short of food a father kills his children one by one and feeds them to his wife and remaining children.

It should be noted that some stories have happy endings and the abuse is usually not central to the story. It is also important to note that storytelling is a way to convey lessons about both good and evil. Still, I would not suggest that small children listen to this CD.

This is a great way to present and preserve Inuit stories. Highly recommended for all Native American Language programs, Inuit Legends is a good model and format for others to consider when preserving their stories and language. I would also suggest that the producer add information about the story origins such as identifying the families that have passed them down and where in the arctic they originate.

The CBC Audio web site provides audio files of the legends and the production process. An Inuit Journey. Tales from the Tundra. The Legends.