I am very interested in Inuit constellations and it is one of my favourite subjects to teach in my classes. Later on in my other blogs I will continue to get more information about the arctic sky!

Here is a legend on Ullaktut (Orion's Belt) as told by Noah Piugaattuka.


ULLAKTUT TOLD BY NOAH PIUGAATTUKA legend relating to the constellation Ullakut – the three stars of Orion’s belt.In the legend they are known as Ullaktut (the runners). There are three stars, slanted upwards and evenly separated. They are most visible. Directly in front of these stars is a big star with many smaller stars around it. The big star is called Nanurjuk (the polar bear); ...the smaller stars are known as the Qimmiit (the dogs).The three runners-the Ullaktut-came across a polar bear at night and are known to have climbed up to the sky; that is the legend. They are quite visible. They are used for navigational purposes because they are easy to identify. The Ullaktut legend has it that there were three runners...actually there were four of them. They were out hunting and, during the night, they came upon a polar bear. As they were chasing the bear, one of the runners got really hot and took off his mitts. As he ran he dropped his mitts. After a while, this runner noticed he didn't have his mitts, so he went back for them and that is how he returned to Earth. He was the fourth person. Had he continued after the bear he would have been the fourth star. He was thus the only one of the runners that made it back to camp. That is the legend of the Ullaktut stars.