The sea woman

by Frédéric Laugrand

"Brimming with beautiful color photographs and depictions of Inuit art, The Sea Woman offers a detailed and in-depth look into the world of Inuit shamanism. Shamanism,or angakkuuniq, played a central part in Inuit culture before the adoption of Christianity. Shamans cured the sick, drove away evil spirits, procured game, influenced the weather, and exposed hidden transgressions. We depend on their accounts for our knowledge and understanding of the nonhuman beings that inhabit the Inuit world. The authors explore the relationships between Inuit shamans and their ability to communicate with nonhuman beings like Sedna, the sea woman, and how this is reflected and expressed in Inuit art. The authors show that despite the current dominance of Christianity, contemporary Inuit art and culture are still powerfully shaped and influenced by the shamanic traditions of the past. The result of many years of archival and field research, the book focuses on representations of the sea woman as an exa