The Inuit people are good storytellers. They tell entertaining, historical stories that also teach life lessons. Legends, like the Legend of Sedna, show that humans are connected to nature.

There are several versions of the Legend of Sedna the Sea Goddess. Sedna is the mother of all marine life. She provided the Inuit with food, animal skins and fuel.

When someone disobeyed her rules, Sedna became angry. The harmony that reigned in the Inuit world was shattered. As a punishment, Sedna kept marine animals away from the hunters, which prevented them from finding food. The shaman was the only one who could re-establish harmony. He had to dive to the bottom of the sea to find Sedna. Once he found her, he needed to explain the difficulties his people were experiencing. To get back in Sedna’s good graces, the shaman needed to brush Sedna’s tangled hair. Then, Sedna would free the marine life and re-establish harmony between the Inuit and the world, but the hunters had to remember that they had to respect all living beings.

Author: Service national du Récit de l’univers social

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