The Song That Calmed the Wind

MANY INUIT SONGS RELATE EVENTS OR EMOTIONS experienced in daily life. But traditionally, songs were also composed and performed to be used as incantations. Bob Cockney told the following story of whale hunters who calmed the wind with a song:

In those days an Inuk who was skirting the shore noticed skin boats, umiaqs, towing something along. They were coming in to land. He hid near the shore. It was a fine, calm day, and as they got closer he heard the rowers singing. An old man was at the helm. They were towing a whale and the old man was singing a magic song. Hidden close to shore the Eskimo learned the song and forever remembered it.

The boats touched the shore and our Inuk sprang out of his hiding place and ran to them, shouting, “Ah, ah!”

The oarsmen had pushed back their hoods and rolled up their sleeves. Frightened, without lowering their sleeves or pulling up their hood, they flew away – they flew away – they were seaswallows.

But because they had forgotten to raise their hoods and lower their sleeves, they were transformed from swallows into little seagulls. Ever since that day, the Abvarmeut (Avvarmiut), the Baillie people, have used this song whenever they have harpooned a whale.

You that we are towing along / Ah, ya ah e ya / Big whale, big whale / Stir up the sea with your tail / E ya ah e ya / Give us fair weather today / So we arrive safe and sound on shore. / E ya ah e ya / Tug – tug along hard / E ya ah e ya / Row – Row

(Bob Cockney, I, Nuligak, 1966, p. 70-71)