AHIAHIA THE ORPHAN

After intruders enter their iglu and murder his parents, an Inuit boy is taken in by his grandmother, who does everything she can to protect him.

This traditional tale relayed by Levi Illuitok, an elder from Kugaaruk, Nunavut, and translated from Inuktitut, follows Ahiahia as he grows into adulthood under his grandmother’s watchful eye, hunting caribou with a bow and arrow and shadowed by his grandmother’s dog. He avoids those in his community who wish him ill. Wearing protective amulets and a suit of raven and wolf skins made by his grandmother, he goes about his life—until the day when events escalate and Ahiahia is pursued by his enemies with seemingly deadly force. Realizing that his grandmother’s protection renders him unassailable, however, the attackers flee. Ahiahia pursues two young women who ran away from the scene of violence, taking them home to be his wives, where they live in the iglu continually supervised by his grandmother. The economical text flows well, drawing readers in and effectively capturing the rhythms of oral storytelling. It is enhanced by evocative artwork in a natural, subdued palette that brings the tundra setting to life. The beauty of the landscape, the drama of the scenes of conflict, and the emotions of the characters are vividly expressed. This offering is a rich glimpse into a body of orally transmitted stories that will encourage readers to reflect on community values, changing cultural norms, and enduring human emotions.

Viscerally powerful and entrancing.