Pivik Learns from Takannaaluk (English) by inhabiteducation

I dedicate this book to my daughters, Hinata and Ukaleq.

The Nunavummi reading series is a Nunavut-developed levelled book series that supports literacy development while teaching readers about the people, traditions, and environment of the Canadian Arctic.

Published in Canada by Nunavummi, an imprint of Inhabit Education Books Inc. | www.inhabiteducationbooks.com

Inhabit Education Books Inc.

(Iqaluit) P.O. Box 2129, Iqaluit, Nunavut, X0A 1H0 (Toronto) 614 Mount Pleasant Road, Unit 1, Toronto, Ontario, M4S 2M8

All rights reserved. The use of any part of this publication reproduced, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, or stored in a retrievable system, without written consent of the publisher, is an infringement of copyright law.

Printed in Canada.

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Title: Pivik learns from Takannaaluk / written by Paninnguaq Lind Jensen ; illustrated by Hannah Barrett.

Names: Lind Jensen, Paninnguaq, author. | Barrett, Hannah (Illustrator), illustrator.

Series: Nunavummi reading series.

Description: Series statement: Nunavummi

Identifiers: Canadiana 20220276862 | ISBN 9781774505830 (hardcover)

Subjects: LCGFT: Picture books.

Classification: LCC PR9142.9.L56 P58 2022 | DDC j823/.92—dc23

ISBN: 978-1-77450-583-0

“Pivik, it’s time to clean up!” Anaana called from the window.

Pivik was playing outside with her dog, Nanu. Her angaju, Ukaleq, was playing with her friends nearby.

“Come on, Pivik!” Ukaleq shouted. “Let´s go help Anaana.”

“ Naamik, I don’t want to!” Pivik answered.

Pivik didn’t like to clean up or help Anaana and Ukaleq with anything. Pivik would rather play with Nanu. Nanu never asked her to do anything. And he always agreed with her. That’s why he was her best friend.

“Pivik, if you keep being lazy and selfish, you will end up in the land of hanging heads!” Ukaleq said. She was tired of Pivik’s behaviour.

Pivik didn’t like the sound of the land of hanging heads.

“But I don’t want to go to the land of hanging heads either!” Pivik whined.

Pivik had never heard of the land of hanging heads. But if helping Anaana and Ukaleq meant she wouldn’t have to go there, she’d better go inside and help.

“Come, Nanu. Let’s go help Anaana,” said Pivik as she headed inside.

After the girls cleaned up, dinner was ready. Anaana had cooked puisi broth. It was Pivik’s favourite dish. She always claimed the ribs, which were the best part.

“Pivik, I want some ribs too!” Ukaleq said as Pivik scooped up a pile of them.

“Nope, they’re mine!” Pivik said. She quickly licked all over the meat to make sure Ukaleq wouldn’t want it anymore.

“Anaana, say something!” Ukaleq complained. “Pivik is so greedy. She always does that, and I want some ribs, too!”

“Pivik, you have to share with Ukaleq,” said Anaana. “You had all the ribs last time, too.”

But Pivik didn’t want to share, and she already had her mouth full of meat. She gave the orsoq she didn’t eat to Nanu, who was next to her begging for his share.

After Anaana kissed the girls goodnight, Ukaleq saw her chance to teach her little sister a lesson.

“Pivik, have you heard what happens to lazy and greedy people?” Ukaleq asked.

Pivik scrunched her nose.

“Naamik, and I don’t care, either,” she answered.

“Have you heard of Takannaaluk?” Ukaleq asked.

“Aap, I have heard of her,” Pivik said. “What about her?”

Ukaleq sat up in her bed and prepared to tell the story and teach Pivik a lesson. She knew she had to do her very best because Takannaaluk’s story deserved the best storytelling.

As you know, Takannaaluk has many names, and there are many versions of the story. Takannaaluk was once a young, beautiful woman. She was so beautiful that many hunters would travel from far away to propose to her. But the young woman rejected all the proposals. She refused to get married. Her ataata became impatient with her because he couldn’t keep providing for her.

Finally, Takannaaluk’s ataata got tired of her rejecting so many good hunters. He threatened that if she didn’t get married, he would leave her on an island with her dog.

One day, a good-looking hunter came to their settlement to propose to her. He promised her that she would never starve, and that she would always have beautiful skins for clothing.

She accepted his proposal.

“Ooh, how romantic!” Pivik interrupted. Nanu barked with joy, too.

“Shh! Listen!” Ukaleq said, and continued:

Takannaaluk sat on the back of her new husband’s qajaq and tied herself to him. They sailed to his settlement. When they arrived, she was surprised to see no houses or tents. He lived in what looked like a messy bird’s nest. There were bones and rotten fish everywhere.

When Takannaaluk turned to her husband, his eyes had turned blood red and were staring into hers. Then he changed into a big ugly loon!

As Ukaleq told the story, she used her body to imitate his shape.

“STOP! I’m scared!” Pivik squealed. She pulled her blanket up to cover her and Nanu’s faces. But Ukaleq continued: Her husband BURST into an evil laugh. MUAhahaha! He told Takannaaluk he was a shapeshifting loon and that he had tricked her.

The young woman was so scared and unhappy that she cried for days. She cried so loudly that her ataata could hear her from his far-away settlement. Her ataata decided to take some of the men with him to bring his panik back home. They took an umiaq and made sure that the evil loon was out on his hunt when they came to rescue Takannaaluk.

But the loon was suspicious. He returned to his messy nest only to find bones and rotten fish. The young woman had escaped!

“And they lived happily ever after! The end!” Pivik shouted with her blanket covering her face. Nanu barked in agreement with her.

“NO! There’s more,” Ukaleq said. She was having a good time scaring her little sister. She continued her story:

The loon was furious! So, he flew over the sea. He flapped his large wings so strongly that he created big waves around the umiaq. The waves got so big that the umiaq almost capsized, and the young woman fell overboard!

Pivik and Nanu felt like they could jump out of their skins with fear. They trembled on the bed, and Pivik still hid under her blanket.

“Ukaleq, stop! I’m so scared!” she begged. Nanu barked in agreement.

“BUT…” Ukaleq said. Then she fell silent for dramatic effect.

“Then what?!” asked Pivik. “Ukaleq, tell me! What happened next?” Nanu barked again.

Takannaaluk held on to the side of the boat with her bare hands. But her weight made the boat tip even more. It was about to capsize!

“NOOO!” Pivik was almost in tears. Nanu howled. Her ataata decided he had to sacrifice his panik to save the other men on the boat from drowning. So, he took a sharp ulu and cut off the first joints of her fingers!

Suddenly, seabirds, fishes, and seals appeared in the water where the tips of her fingers had fallen. But the young woman still wouldn’t let go. Her ataata had to try again. So, he cut the rest of the joints of her fingers off!

Pivik and Nanu started crying, but Ukaleq continued telling the story.

Arferit ! Nannut ! Aarrit ! Then, other sea animals emerged from her knuckles. The young woman could no longer hold on to the side of the umiaq. She sank down to the bottom of the sea and entered silap aappaa , the spirit world. There she was transformed into the mother and protector of all sea animals.

The girls sat in silence for a moment. Pivik sniffed. “Is it over yet?” she asked.

Ukaleq raised a finger and said:

“You see, Pivik, we are eating parts of Takannaaluk when we eat from the sea. If we take more than we need, we are deeply disrespecting her and the animals we eat. We are also angering the spirits! When we are greedy and selfish, she gets angry and holds back the animals. They get tangled in her looooong black hair. It causes bad hunting and even worse…STARVATION!”

“Ukaleq, I’m sorry!” Pivik cried. “We promise we won’t be greedy anymore. We promise to share with you!” Nanu howled in agreement.

“It is very important to be on good terms with Takannaaluk,” said Ukaleq. “That is why Anaana has all her fingers marked with lines. She is honouring Takannaaluk and the sea animals that were created from her. The lines also honour the loss of Takannaaluk’s human life when she entered silap aappaa and transformed into the mother and protector of sea animals. I tell you, Pivik, you shouldn’t disrespect her! Your selfish actions will have an impact on all of us.”

“Anaana works hard to provide for us. We should respect what she gives us like we respect Takannaaluk’s gifts. Besides, when our time in this world ends and we enter silap aappaa, Takannaaluk decides which land we will go to,” Ukaleq explained. “You would much rather end up in the land with all the sea animals or the land with all the caribou and birds. But if you keep being lazy, you will end up in the land of hanging heads. That is where all lazy people go.”

“We get it! We get it!” Pivik said like she was begging for her and Nanu’s lives. Nanu barked.

Ukaleq took a deep, satisfied breath. She had fulfilled her goals of sharing Takannaaluk’s story and explaining why not to be greedy and selfish.

“Now it’s time to sleep, Pivik,” Ukaleq said.

Pivik and Nanu had a sleepless night. Ukaleq’s story had a big impact on them. They decided that they didn’t want to be greedy and selfish anymore.

When they woke up the next morning, Pivik’s behaviour had completely changed. Anaana thought she was dreaming when she watched Pivik set the table and prepare breakfast for the family. Nanu followed Pivik all over the kitchen. He barked supportively when she put the breakfast and spoons in their places. Pivik even made sure that she and Ukaleq had equal amounts of food.

From that day forward, Pivik and Nanu were helpful to the family. Pivik even gave the ribs to Ukaleq the next time they had puisi broth!

Glossary of Kalaallisut Terms

Kalaallisut is a language spoken in Greenland. The pronunciation guides below are intended to support non-Kalaallisut speakers in their reading of Kalaallisut words. These pronunciations are not exact representations of how the words are pronounced by Kalaallisut speakers. For more pronunciation resources, visit inhabiteducation.com/inuitnipingit.

aap ahp

aarrit

AH-reet

anaana

ah-NAH-nah

angaju

ah-NGAH-yoo

arferit

AHR-fur-eet

ataata

ah-TAH-tah

naamik

NAH-mik

nannut

NAH-noot

orsoq

UHR-suhk yes daughter

panik

PAH-nik

two or many walruses seal meat mother kayak

puisi

poo-EE-see

qajaq

KAH-yahk

older sister spirit world

silap aappaa

SEE-lahp ah-PAH

ulu

OO-loo

umiaq

OO-mee-yahk

two or many whales father no two or many polar bears fermented seal fat

crescent knife traditionally used by women

a traditional Inuit skin boat, able to hold a dozen people on average

This book has been ofﬁcially levelled using the F&P Text Level Gradient™ Leveling System.

Fountas & Pinnell Text Level: R

In this story from West Greenland, one young girl tries to teach her mischievous little sister a lesson by telling her the Inuit traditional story of Takannaaluk.

Pivik is the laziest little sister! She is always complaining about helping Anaana and stealing the best food for herself. Fed up, her big sister, Ukaleq, seizes the chance to teach Pivik a lesson. Ukaleq tells Pivik the story of how Takannaaluk became the Mother of Sea Mammals. Ukaleq warns Pivik not to anger Takannaaluk by being greedy, or their community will starve. Pivik is so scared she can’t sleep! Will Ukaleq’s lesson finally teach Pivik to put others before herself?

Fountas & Pinnell