Martha Tunnuq on Inuit Astronomy in Uqalurait (2004)

Because the sun was absent for several months each year, stars were important indicators of time, both seasonal and diurnal. We used the stars to tell us when the fish were going to be running up river. When we see certain stars, we know what kind of fish we are going to be blessed with and this is a very happy time for us. When those certain stars come out we start moving towards the rivers. That is when we fish for food for our dogs and ourselves for the winter. We call that star Ubluriaqjuaq. The next stars that come out are bigger. I think the biggest star comes out when there is little daylight. It is called Ubluriasukjuk ... We were asked to watch out for stars in the old days because we used the stars to tell the time in those days.

Martha Tunnuq, Arviligjuarmiut, JB

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About this document ...

  • Written by: John Bennett and Susan Rowley
  • Published in: Uqalurait: An Oral History of Nunavut
  • Published by: McGill-Queen's University Press
  • Place: Montreal and Kingston
  • Date: 2004
  • Page(s): 111-112
Sunken ship