Angakkuq

An **angakkuq** (plural **angakkuit**) is a magic wielder of the Inuit culture. The angakkuit are spiritual and sometimes described as shamanic in nature.

The angakkuit are immensely powerful people, though their powers are said to come with a great deal of responsibility, as well as danger and suffering.

## Abilities

Angakkuit can wield a range of supernatural abilities.

* **Healing:** An angakkuq's perhaps most essential powers is that of healing. Ancient angakkuit were often responsible for healing the injured and ill in their communities.
	+ **Revival:** It is said that powerful angakkuit are capable of bringing deceased people back to life.
* **Clairvoyance**: Angakkuit possess extrasensory abilities, and can receive visions detailing events of the past, present or future. These visions are rarely literal, and relies on an angakkuq's interpretation to be understood.
* **Mediumship:** Angakkuit are able to perceive and communicate with spirits of the dead.

## Lifestyle and responsibilities

In modern times, most angakkuq live normal lives integrated in either aware or unaware societies. Some may perform their duties opely, while others may

While some angakkuit are able to practice their craft and still live long lives, that is not the norm.

## Auxiliary spirits

Angakkuit often work together with auxiliary spirits, which may be spirits of the deceased or non-human entities (tuurngait).

## Initialisation and training

The process of becoming an angakkuq varies. It is suggested that the powers are in some ways hereditary, angakkuit parents often conceive children who hold similar abilities (though it is not guaranteed). The birth of an angakkuq is often prophecied by other angakkuit. If an angakkuq is not made aware of their powers, they might not become aware of them until later in life. It is common for powers to lay dormant until awoken by an exceptional event such as a serious accident, the loss of someone in the immediate family, or a meeting with a spirit.

Often, angakkuit parents are responsible for training their children to wield their powers. Alternatively, a prospective angakkuq may be taken in and trained by any other angakkuit in the community. Most begin training in their teenage years, when powers start to properly manifest, and continue this training over the course of several years.

It is possible for an angakkuq to be entirely self-taught, though such a thing is exceedlingy rare simply because few self-taught angakkuit make it into adulthood.

## Name

Name carries a great importance for the angakkuit and in inuit cosmology as a whole. Naming a child after a deceased relative or tuurngait will birth a connection between the child and the spirit. It is also common for angakkuq to rename themselves at later stages in life, perhaps at a point of crisis or severe illness- often in conjunction with the discovery of their powers.

## Gender

While there are no gender restrictions on the role of an angakkuq, it is much rarer for women to become angakkuit. Whether this is is due to historical or spiritual reasons is unknown.

Female angakkuit are said to be more powerful than other angakkuit.

## Vocabulary

Qaumaniq - an aura surrounding something.

## Known angakkuit

* Sesi Qinnuayuak
* Irniq Qinnuayuak

1. ↑ http://www.tradition-orale.ca/english/pdf/Cosmology-And-Shamanism-E.pdf