Pegman took us to Resolute, NU, Canada this week. What an interesting place.
Me and my brothers lived along the shores of Qausuittuqall Bay all our lives. When little we tumbled around and over each other like cubs in a pack til our muscles grew stronger than the inside of an iceberg. As men, we tracked polar bears by the light of Nanjuriks’s eyes and killed those big white beasts with our bare hands. Laugh if you want. But it’s true. Tonraq ran beneath their bellies and after one, two, three jabs the bears sighed and fell. Ha! Those beasts didn’t have a chance. What did I do? I, Nukilik, sang the death songs. “We honor you, Nanuq! Thank you for your gifts of meat, fur, fat, and bones. We will use them wisely. We will use them well.” After all, gifts must be acknowledged.
Now, no longer honored, our Nanuq float on disconnected ice sheets, vainly listening for their song.
(Nanurjik – Star, Tonraq – Tiny Man, Nukilik – Strong)
Up From the Ashes 
Such a powerful story, Alicia. Loved the image of the boys tumbling around ‘like cubs in a pack’. The contrast of the old ways and the plight of the polar bear is chilling.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you.
LikeLike
I love the voice in this, Lish. It strengthens the story, too. Well done.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Josh. Having lived among First Nation people, I tried to use their voice as best I could.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I really enjoyed this, Alicia. You could feel the spirit of the Inuit!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Dale! People and animals are losing so much due to global warming. (Oh, wait! There is no global warming.) 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s right. There is none… Fake news.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I feel for Nanuq, and for all who rely on the floes to make a living.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Me too. Thanks for reading.
LikeLike
You’ve written that story beautifully, Lish. I particularly like the way two of the names are counter-intuitive for the men’s functions – ‘Tiny man’ does the killing, and ‘Strong’ sings the death song. That’s a lovely touch. And your last line poetically conveys something of the sadness and loss of Nanuq, the Inuit and the world as global warming destroys the polar bears’ habitat.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for noticing the names, Penny. I made a list before I started, they helped me write the story.
LikeLike
This is wonderfully written. I love the voice.
LikeLike
Thank you, Kelley.
LikeLike
You did such a great job of evoking his feelings about those traditions, and the sadness that things have changed. Such a beauty in the language, too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Joy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, what great images! you create!
Sadly, the inside of an iceberg isn’t as strong as it once was.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Please ignore the middle-of-the-sentence exclamation point. I need more coffee.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ha! Don’t you hate not being able to go back and fix errors? 😉
LikeLike
I know! Pretty soon there won’t BE any icebergs and the ocean will be at our back doors. (OK, an exaggeration. It will be at other people’s backdoors.) Thanks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great writing Alicia. I can see the scenes so clearly, the tumbling boy/ cubs, the respectful bear hunting, and the bleak image of the modern bear adrift on an ice floe, dis-connected from due respect for creatures.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Oh, good! I’m glad my words brought clear images. Thank you.
LikeLike
An ode to the loss of an entire way of life – a history melted away with the ice floes. Love your language, your voice, the descriptions you use. Stellar work
LikeLiked by 2 people
Goodness! Thanks so much. Lish
LikeLiked by 1 person
My pleasure 🙂
LikeLike
so interesting that you have the experience to have lived among First Nation people – and this fiction here is dense but light at the same time. And this line
“Laugh if you want. But it’s true.”
had me go back a few times and I think it was masterfully placed – as it connected to the reader and took the content to our thinking and then got back to the details
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was an archaeologist for ten years. Every site was connected to first Nation People who speak how they speak ~ in a very fascinating way. They were always part of the crew or visited their reservations. Thanks for your kind comment.
LikeLiked by 1 person
what a cool experience and it is nice to learn more about the authors I follow
LikeLike
Beautiful narrative…sad that such beauty and adventure is coming to an close.
LikeLike
Oh, I feel the same way. Thanks for reading and commenting.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dear Lish,
The voice in this brings the people to life. I can see an old man telling this story to his grandchildren with a faraway look in his dark eyes. Beautifully told.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLike
A nice story describing life of native people of the land.
LikeLike
Thanks!
LikeLike