Ancient Land: Sacred Whale - Softcover

Lowenstein, Tom

3.85

13 ratings by Goodreads

9781860465758: Ancient Land: Sacred Whale

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1860465757 ISBN 13: 9781860465758

Publisher: Harvill Press, 1999

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On a tiny peninsula called Tikigaq, an ancient people evolved an intricate, densely woven system of rites to accompany their hunting. For 1,500 years, until late last century, elaborate myth and magic were integral to the Tikigaq way of life. Tom Lowenstein began to tap this rich and sacred tore in 1973 when he met Asatchaq, who, born in 1891, was the last great singer and storyteller of his people.

Ancient Land: Sacred Whale is a work unique in contemporary literature, combining scholarly insight with poetic mastery to bring the grandeur of ancient Tikigaq imagination to Ere. Widely acclaimed as a classic text on Inuit culture and mythology, Lowenstein's masterpiece is rich with the astonishing detail of ancient life. This "ancient" and yet most modern of texts culminates with a long poem of the whale hunt.

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From the Back Cover:

On a tiny peninsula in the North Alaskan wilderness, the Inuit of Tikigaq worshipped the whales they killed, evolving an elaborate system of myths and rituals to accompany the hunt. For eight months of the year Tikigaq village is locked in sea-ice and swept by brutal winds, but its hunting grounds are rich and it has become famous among the Inuit themselves for its unique ceremonies.

Oral historian and poet Tom Lowenstein began to explore this "ritual metropolis" in 1973, when the whale myth had all but died. He recorded the complex tales of the elders - including Asatchaq, born in 1891, the last great singer and storyteller of his people - and entered a disorientating world, a fusion of reality and ritual. The old way of life was dominated by dances and s�ances, puppet shows and divinations, spirit quests and lunar rites, leading up to the climax in the spring with the long-awaited whale hunt.

Ted Hughes, the late Poet Laureate, said of Lowenstein's translations that they "are at once works of detailed scholarship and of high poetic achievement". Written in a variety of styles and voices, Ancient Land: Sacred Whale combines lyrical and dramatic sequences of great power and beauty, while retaining a deep respect for the mysterious Tikigaq people and the animal spirits they claim as their kin.

Synopsis:

On a tiny peninsula, the Inuit of Tikigaq worshipped the whales they killed, evolving an elaborate system of myths and rituals to accompany the hunt. Lowenstein began to explore these in 1973 and recorded the complex tales of the elders, providing a classic text on the vanishing culture of the North Alaskan wilderness.

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