tupilaq
thumb|A carved representation of a tupilak, Greenland A ' ( or in Inuktitut syllabics, plural ') is a monster or carving of a monster.
Article
12 sectionsContents
- Publicity versus secrecy
- Concealment
- Neutralizing effect of public confession
- Meanings of the same term in various Inuit cultures
- Igloolik
- Kivallirmiut
- Greenland
- Inuinnait
- See also
- References
- Bibliography
- Further reading
thumb|A carved representation of a tupilak, Greenland A ' ( or in Inuktitut syllabics, plural ') is a monster or carving of a monster.
In Inuit religion, especially in Greenland, a tupilaq was an avenging monster fabricated by an angakkuq (a practitioner of witchcraft or shamanism) by using various objects such as animal parts (bone, skin, hair, sinew, etc.) and even parts taken from the corpses of children. The creature was given life by ritualistic chants. It was then placed into the sea to seek and destroy a specific enemy.