My name is Ernie Frankson, from Tikigaq. The story I will tell is Tulunigraq's story. It consists of three stories of my ancestors the Siniaagmiit, who lived on the edge of the sea. These are their stories about the land before it was divided, and before high, steep cliffs were created. They were taking care of this land at the edge of the sea. My ancestors come from the Edge of the Sea. Long ago, they lived near two lagoons near Tikigaq. There are three parts to this story. I will tell about Tulunigraq.

Little Old Lady Who Had No Sons Creates A Child

The first story of Tulunigraq is about a little old lady who was living and had no sons. She had no children. Because she wanted sons she began to create them. She began to create people by chewing the sticky, burnt blubber from the seal oil lamp. She then sweetened it by adding the skin of a bird. She sweetened it with the skin of a bird and created a person. Then she put a beak on the head. It had a beak on the head. She put the person she created in front of the seal oil lamp. She created a doll from the sticky, burnt blubber of the lamp and pieces of bird skin.

The next day when she awoke there was the little person setting in front of the seal oil lamp with his legs tucked under him. He tucked his legs under like that. When she walked over to the little person he was alive! He had the beak of a raven on his forehead. She named him Tulunigraq because she found that he had the beak of a raven on his forehead. She named him after Raven.

Tulunigraq Changes The People's Backward Ways

That was the first of the people that the little old lady of Tikigaq made. As Tulunigraq became aware of his surroundings, he grew up very fast. He grew up much faster than we lnupiaq people do. Tulunigraq grew. When he became aware of his surroundings people used animal blubber for cooking. They would use water that we use for drinking as oil. They would use the water for accompaniment with meat.

When these people of Tikigaq walked, they walked on their hands. They used water as seal oil. What we use today as seal oil made from animal blubber, they used for cooking. The people of Tikigaq used their hands for walking. Their legs were up in the air. They would say that people who could sit would be adept hunters.

Tulunigraq realized that he was the only one in Tikigaq who walked on his feet. There was no daylight. It was dark. When people walked, they walked on their hands. Tulunigraq walked on his feet. Tulunigraq made the people turn their ways around. He also reversed the use of water and the oil. He taught them how to walk like him. He grew fast, faster than the people. He became a human being.

Tulunigraq Goes To Get The Dayjight

It was always dark, this place on the edge where living never turned to day. Tulunigraq told people he was going to go and fetch the daylight. He prepared by getting his gear ready. He prepared his gear and hunting equipment. He left traveling east and would sleep upon stopping. After traveling for some days he began to see daylight. There was daylight off in the distance. As he approached he exclaimed, "Oh there is a house down there!" The dwelling was not too small and not too big. It was a house, a sod house. He could see light shining through the skylight. You could see the light. He told people when he left Tikigaq that he was going to fetch the light.

As he got closer to the sod house he walked very cautiously thinking that there might be someone watching the house. He walked around for a bit around the house before he went in through the entranceway. Tulunigraq cautiously went into the passageway of the sod house and carefully peeked at the people in the house through the entrance hole in the floor of the sod house. It was bright. The sod house was bright

When he finally peered into the house, he saw on the wall, three balls. One ball was so brilliant that he could not see. He could not look at it with his eyes. He could see the next one even though it was bright But the first one was so brilliant he could not look at it. He couldn't look at it because it was so bright. The third ball was barely illuminated, its light barely distinguishable.

The three balls were hanging on the wall of the house. When he peeked in, he saw a man working on his hunting gear. There was also a woman who was very busy sewing. They had a child, a girl. The girl, big enough to run around, was running around the house. Tulunigraq thought in his mind, "I wonder how I can get the girl to want the ball hanging in the middle?" The one hanging in the middle was bright. It was in between the brightest and the one that wasn't too bright. However, it was bright enough.

As soon as he thought of that, the girl began to ask her father to play with the ball that was up on the wall. Her father told her that he did not want her to have it. Father dearly loved his little girl. But the girl would not be satisfied. She wanted to play with it. Finally, her father stood up and retrieved the ball telling his daughter, "Don't let it fall in the entrance hole" and taking care he gave her the ball. She began to play with the ball. It bounced. She threw it off the wall and it bounced.

Finally, Father and Mother stopped paying attention to her when they realized that she was not going to let the lamp fall into the entrance hole. As Tulunigraq watched, he had another thought, "I wonder how that ball could fall into the entrance hole?" No sooner than he thought that did the ball bounce right into the entrance hole!

Tulunigraq caught the ball. When caught the ball he jumped up suddenly through the entranceway and began running as fast as he could towards Tikigaq. All around him it began to be light. As he ran carrying this ball towards Tikigaq, he was shouting, "Uvluqpuuq! Unnukpuuq!" "It is day! It is night!" He uttered not another word, not another word did he say. "Uvluqpuuq! Unnukpuuq!" He ran shouting these words as loud as he could!

When he turned around to look, he saw that a man was chasing him. There was a man already pursuing him. All the while he was running, he began to be heard all over. There was no way Tulunigraq could not be seen as he was carrying this bright ball of light. The land all around was bright. He shouted "Uvluqpuuq! Unnukpuuq!" as loud as he could as he was running.

When he could be heard, he turned around and with his fist he hit the ball. When he hit the ball, the land all around became surrounded with light! When he turned around to see the man, he could not see him. The man had turned around and was slowly walking back to his house. He looked around for the ball he had burst. The ball was nowhere, but it was full of light everywhere. As he headed home it would get dark in the evening and then get daylight. That is the second part of this story of Tulunigraq, the one who went to go get daylight.

Tulunigraq Spears the Land               

Here is the third part of Tulunigraq's story. One early morning after the people who lived on the edge of the water had begun using qayaqs, they called attention to an animal, a very large animal, in the distance.          

He could see it periodically and so he went down to the edge of the water to check to see what it might be. Down there he saw what looked to be a head surfacing out of the water. All of the people would not go down where the head was so huge. After Tulunigraq thought for awhile he said to himself, "Here I am, I am not just a mere human. I am not just a mere human. I have not even any descendants here."

He left in his boat, his qayaq and slowly headed towards it. The big animal would surface and then go down. It was unmistakable. Periodically he would look at all the people. Very cautiously being ready to turn back if the animal rushed towards him, he approached the animal. The big animal would dive after surfacing for some time. Some kind of animal! He slowly approached it with his qayaq.

Seeing that there was nothing else he could do, he approached it and harpooned it with his spear. He harpooned it with his spear. He left the toggle head of the spear along with the rope. When it surfaced, it was the land that surfaced. It was wide looking west. The land that was surfacing was wide. He put his qayaq on his back and went home to Tikigaq.

These are the three stories of Tulunigraq. They came from my ancestors; the ones who were here in Tikigaq, my ancestors Who Came From The Edge, as they called themselves, because they lived near the edge of the water. A long time ago there were no other Inupiaq people living anywhere. People from Nuataaq and Tikigaq were the only living people, long, long ago. Afterwards this place was to be filled with people.

This is as far as the story of Tulunigraq goes.

Thank you very much.