Virtual Reality Experience Project for theGeneral Public Educational Laboratory

Pete,

I have tried to write this script for an audience of 11 year olds. You may have seen that program “Are you smarter than a 5th grader”. Also, I have left out a few details in some of the stories. I was a bit concerned about political correctness.

RML

Prologue

Location out to sea - at a distance you can see a burning lamp

Thule Eskimo , Lewis p. 27

Day ArisesFrom its sleepDay wakes upWith the dawning lightAlso you must ariseAlso you must awakeTogether with the day which comes

I Arise/AUA Colombo p. 18I arise

I arise from rest with movements swift As the beat of a raven’s wingI arise To meet the dayWa - waMy face is turned from the dark of nightTo gaze at the dawn of dayNow whitening in the sky

(source: Knud Rasmussen).

There are many Inuit myths that explain the mysteries of the world and its origins. From the very beginning of time, the Raven made the world.

To the Inuit, the Raven was both a God, and a bird with a man inside. After the Raven had created everything, he decided to remain on earth. The Raven loved the people and the animals in this world, and was curious about them all. Even though he had made the world, he did not know everything there was to know. In the virtual journey you are about to take in your kayak, you will learn about the Raven and his world.

Like the Raven, he too like to paddle his kayak out to sea. To learn more about the Raven and his life journey, you will need to look for clues. Look for the whale oil lamps that light your journey home. If you should lose your way, look for the raven overhead who will show you the way. Your first clue, you should see burning brightly directly in front of you.

Before you begin your journey, you will first need to learn how to paddle your kayak. The kayak is an elegant sea craft. A lightweight skin stretched over a frame built of wood and bone makes it fast and maneuverable.

To paddle your virtual kayak, press the forward arrow key. This will allow you to paddle for about 8 seconds. After the initial stroke lasting 4 seconds you may want to steer right or left with the Q and W key. You may also turn in place, with the Q and W key. Try taking a stroke with your virtual paddle.

Clue 1 Whale Oil LampLocation: First Burning Lamp Location is independentObject: Burning Lamp, Sedna Action: Voice over

http://american.edu/TED/eskimo.htmhttp://www.hvgb.net/~sedna/story.html

I am Sedna - You have found your first clue. - It is a whale oil lamp that keeps homes in the North lit and warm. Whales blubber is the fuel that burns in these lamps during the cold winter months. As an Inuit hunter you must have great respect for me, Sedna the Goddess of the sea and of the whales who live in my domain. All who paddle their kayaks on the northern seas know that when I am angry, the seas are violent and storms and strong. Now the sea is calm. When I combs my long black hair I free the seals and other animals which you must depend on for sustenance.

Beast of the Sea Lewis p. 32

Beast of the Sea,Come and offer yourself in the dear early morningBeast of the PlainCome and offer yourself in the dear early Morning

Now look for the next lamp to learn more about the uses of the whale by the Inutit

“Quote - Sedna's companions are the seals, and the whales that sit with her at the bottom on the ocean. Her anger and fury against man is what drums up the violent seas and storms . Hunters have a great respect for her. Legend has it that they must treat her with respect. Shaman's from the world above must swim down to her to comb her long black tangled hair. This calms Sedna down. Once this is done, she releases her mammals to allow the Inuit to eat from the bounty of the sea. It is for this reason in the north that after a hunter catches a seal he drops water into the mouth of the mammal, a gesture to thank Sedna for her kindness in allowing him to feed his family.

Sound Tracks found along the way to Clue 2:

Sedna Swimming

I am Sedna, you will find me swimming among the sea creatures. I probably look like a mermaid to you with my long hair and a fluke instead of feet.

Icebergs

http://www.godchecker.com/pantheon/native_american-mythology.php?deity=NOOTAIKOK

Nootaikok, is s the God of icebergs. As a god he is what you would expect him to be massive, majestic and very unfriendly. In the past, invoking his name would cause seals to appear, which was good for the Inuit but not for the seals. Don’t get to near to the icebergs, though they move very slowly, remember your kayak is very small and fragile.

Moon and stars

The stars and the moon were not just put in the sky for light and to help hunters navigate at night. In the sky you find Nanuk the dancing bear and Anningan, the moon god who chases his sister Malina, the sun goddess across the sky. During this chase, he forgets to eat, and grows much thinner as the month progresses until he is nothing more than a crescent. To satisfy his hunger, he disappears for three days each month and then returns as a full moon to chase his sister Malina. It is been said that Malina wants to stay as far away from her evil brother as possible and that is why the moon and the sun rise and set at different times.

Second clue

Malina and Anningan can afflict all those who offend them with diseases and illness. It is for this reason that during a lunar eclipse, women will not leave their homes and during the solar eclipse men remain at home.

Clue 2: Whale Location: Second Burning Lamp Location is independentObject: burning Lamp Primary Action: Whale skeleton appears when you are close, Voice overSecondary Action: Whale jumps out of the water

For the Inuit the whale was an important source of food and building material. The blubber was used to light his lamp and as a source of food. The bones, sinew and skin were used to build homes, sleds, boats and tools of all kind. For the Inuit, sharing the bounties of the whale is a festive occasion like which celebrates the mysteries of life. Source Larsen and Rainey

http://american.edu/TED/eskimo.htm

However, the meaning of Inupiat subsistence hunting goes beyond the survival-oriented imperative of providing the necessities of food and clothing. An Inupiat hunter testimonial evokes the ritual and religious importance of the bowhead hunt: "The whale is more than food to us. It is the center of our life and culture. We are the People of the Whale. The taking and sharing of the whale are our Eucharist and Passover. The whaling festival is our Easter and Christmas, the Arctic celebrations of the mysteries of life."

CLUES to Clue 3

The Kayak Paddler’s joy at the Weather Lewis p. 32

When I am out of the house in the openI feel joy

When I get out on the sea by chance I Feel joy

If it is really fine weather I Feel joy

If the Sky really clears nicelyI Feel joy

May it continue thusFor the good of my sealing

May it continue thusFor the good od my hunting

May it continue thusFor the good of my drum song

Bear Clue 3 Location: Burning Lamp Location is independentObject: burning Lamp Primary Action: Dancing Bear appears when you are close, voice overSecondary Action: Stars in the heaven -

The bear, represents the king of the arctic animals. The Inuit believe that after death you will return as an animal continuing the chain of life. The bear is the "king" of the animal kingdom. To return as a bear is a position of great regard, that is why we dance, to show pleasure and joy. This is the legend of the dancing bear.

Second sound clue Look upward and you may see a few stars in the heaven. Look carefully and you will see a Nanuk, a bear who left the earth to join the stars in the heaven. (need the constellation for the Inuit Bear)

From Heaven and Hell p. 93 Field

We have heard of three places where men go after death

There is the land of the Sky a good place

Where there is no sorrow and fear

There have been wise men who went there

And cam back to tell us about it

They saw people playing ball, happy people

Who did nothing but laugh and amuse themselves

What we see from down here in the form of stares

Are the lighted windows of the villages of the dead

In the Land of the Sky

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Follow me a little way to the next lamp.

Dancing Bear These carefully balanced creatures suggest the angakoq poised

between heaven and earth, ready for transformation and flight. A shamanic bear can be recognized by a short thick neck, the one remaining sign of human identity.

The Inuit believe that after death they return as an animal … thus continuing the chain of life .The Bear represents the "king" of the Arctic animal kingdom so to return as a polar bear is the most favored choice. Returning as a polar bear the Inuk is happy and dances to show pleasure of joy … this is the legend of the dancing bear

To the Eskimos the stars are not just put in the sky to give light or guide the wandering traveler. They are living things, sent by some twist of fate to roam the heavens forever, never swerving from their paths. One of these creatures who left the earth and went to live in the sky was Nanuk the bear.

Clue 4: RavenLocation: Fourth Burning Lamp Location is independent, Would be good if it were near the Raven path flying over Object: burning Lamp Primary Action: Rave sculpture appears when you are close.

I am the raven, the trickster. (You now know how much I like to paddle my kayak. delete) Many years ago, I was paddling my kayak and wondered what does it look like inside a whale? - so I waited until a whale yawned and walked inside. With a line attached to the whale’s tooth, I walked deep inside to find a dancing girl strapped to the heart of the whale. I said to her, I am the Raven. I made the world. Will you come with me into my world and be my wife? The maiden replied, "Raven, I cannot leave the whale. I am the heart and the soul of the whale. But if you want to stay here and keep me company, that would make me happy." I raven pulled my beak back down over my face and covered my arms with my3 wings.

I grabbed the girl. I heard the strings snap as I flew with her out of the whale up into the sky. I heard the whale thrashing below in the ocean. I watched the whale's body as it was tossed by the waves onto the shore. The whale was dead and the girl in my arms grew smaller and smaller and disappeared.

For weeks I cried and cried, then I danced and sang. I then flew back up into the sky. From that point on, I have promised all humans animals that I would always return to this world. I now understand that we must care for one another and that everything in this world lives and dies and that - humans and animals have hearts and souls. My first song and dance 3was out of grief.

The Raven’s Answer Colombo, p. 74

Where do you get to When the icy coldComes to the oneWho can endure being out?Turd and sum!Nothing impossibleTo the one who can

Gull 5 ( Paddle to the shore)Location: Fifth Burning Lamp Location is independent, Would be good if it were near the Gull path flying over head Object: burning Lamp Primary Action: Gull sculpture appears when you are close.

The Gull Colombo p. 72

The gull it is said,The one who cleaves the air with its wingsThe one that is usually above youQeqe – ajaGull you up thereSteer down toward me, Come to meYou wingsAre redUp there – in the coolnessAjaja

One day Nugumiut was out caribou-hunting. A monster sea-gull walked towards him and picked him up, and flew away towards the sea. Nugumiut became very much afraid, and responded by pulling out his knife. He kept on stabbing the seagull with his knife until it fell into the sea. Nugumiut pulled out two large feathers from the bird, tied them together to create a paddle. After many hours of paddling he reached the shore. From that time on, Nugumiut was no longer afraid of anything.

House 6 Location: Sixth Burning Lamp Location is on the shore near the House . Object: burning Lamp, Mandible and./or cranium? appear when you are near? Primary Action: Voice over, Eskimo or animal? to lead you to the Thule house? .

Action: Sound trackAction: bones come together?

Outside the homeYou have made it safely to the shoreline. In the distance you can see a house made of the bones of several whales. Many of these bones were found on the beaches. In building these houses, the mandible, cranium, ribs, maxilla, scapula formed the basis of these houses. Tied together with strips of hide, these tent-like structures would be covered first skins of animals then layers of sod. When the snow came you would be protected from the wind and cold.

Come inside and warm yourself by the light of the whaleoil lamp.

Additional Clues:

Gulls (flying overhead)

Overhead you will see sea-gulls flying – we are the inspiration for a classic myth about Nugumiut a famous Inuit hunter .

Inside the home: PART II

Clue 7:Ulu ( near the lamp)Action: Sound track, Video on clothing

The ulu symbolizes the work of the Inuit woman. Every girl is given her own ulu that is hers alone. According to tradition, when a girl marries she brings her ulu and lamp with her.

Use video sound trackThe Ulu can be used for many purposes. Removing the skin from an animal, butchering seals, slicing food. Ulu’s were also used to prepare and cut skins needed for cutting leather and making clothing items, boots, mitten, coats Using the skins of carabou and seal we can make coats, mittens, and boots. Each must be carefully planned. Cut carefully from the hide of an animal, clothing must be made impervious to the weather. Each hunter would need several changes of clothing, so that there will always be a dry set to wear. Clue 8: Thimble

Action: Sound track

You will need this if you plan to sew skins together. Without a lebrette or thimble, your thumb would become very sore, from pushing the needle through tough seal skin. Made from the toe bone of the caribou, these thimbles would be worn on the index finger and would be used to help push the highly polished bone needles from underneath the skin. Awls could also be used to help create holes that help in the sewing process. Men would also need these thimbles in sewing their kayak’s together.

Clue 9: Comb

Action: Sound track

I am the comb used by Sedna to comb her dark hair. When she combs her hair seals, whales are released back into the sea.Combs were made from bone and wood and were very prized possessions. Often decorated with intricate patterns by a wife’s husband these items are a work of art.

Clue 10: Harpoon?

Action: Video

Notes and Future Work

Warlus Version 2

Harpoon Version 2

Kayak and its construction Version 2?

The Raven Story Raven liked to paddle his kayak out into the sea. One day he saw a large whale. He said, "I wonder what it looks like inside the belly of a whale."

Raven waited until the whale yawned. When its mouth was wide open, he rowed right in. He tied his kayak to one of the whale's teeth and started walking deeper inside the whale's body. The mouth of the whale closed behind him and it grew dark. Raven heard a sound like a drum or distant thunder. He walked until he came to the belly of the whale. The white bones of the whale's ribs rose up around him like ivory pillars.

In the center of the whale's belly, Raven saw a beautiful girl dancing. She had strings attached to her feet and hands stretching to the heart of the whale. Raven thought, "She is so beautiful. I would like to take her out of this whale and marry her."

So he said to her, "I am Raven. I made the world. Will you come with me into the world and be my wife?"

The maiden replied, "Raven, I cannot leave the whale. I am the heart and the soul of the whale. But if you want to stay here and keep me company, that would make me happy."

Raven threw back his beak, revealing his human face. He tossed back his wings and sat with his hands on his knees. He watched the girl as she danced.

Raven threw back his beak, revealing his human face. He tossed back his wings and sat with his hands on his knees. He watched the girl as she danced.

When she danced quickly the whale soared through the water. When she danced slowly the whale floated calmly. Soon, the girl danced so slowly that she stopped moving and her eyes closed. Raven felt a cool wind from the world blow through the spout of the whale. He thought again of taking the girl with him into the world. He felt human desire. And, he forgot what she said.

Raven pulled his beak back down over his face and covered his arms with his wings. He grabbed the girl. He heard the strings snap as he flew with her out of the whale up into the sky.

As he flew, Raven heard the whale thrashing below in the ocean. He watched the whale's body as it was tossed by the waves onto the shore. The whale was dead and the girl in his arms grew smaller and smaller and disappeared.

Raven realized that everything that is alive has a heart and a soul and everything in the world is born and dies. He was overcome with great sorrow. He was so sad that he landed on the sand beside the body of the whale. For weeks he cried and cried. Then Raven began to dance. He danced for weeks. Then Raven began to sing. He sang for weeks and weeks until his heart was soothed. Then he flew back up into the sky.

He promised the humans and the animals that he would always return to this world as long as we cared for one another and understood that everything in this world lives and dies, and everyone human and animal has a heart and a soul. Raven's tears were the first tears. His dance and his song of grief and healing were the first song and the firstdance.

Sources:http://www.native-languages.org/inuit-legends.htm]Tales and Traditions of the Eskimoby Henry Rink[London, 1875]

{Reduced to HTML by Christopher M. Weimer, Apr. 2003}

http://books.google.com/books?id=dPN9msdW4swC&pg=PA65&lpg=PA65&dq=walrus+Inuit+myths+Thule&source=web&ots=LoTpCdmtJa&sig=SMFrwjVQGDR8mM5Sw4Mq8CgvloU&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=3&ct=result#PPA65,M1

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http://www.hvgb.net/~sedna/story.html

Moon and stars

The Stars and the moon were not just put in the sky for light and to help the hunter navigate. In the sky you find Nanuk the dancing bear and Anningan, the Moon god who chases his sister Malina, the Sun goddess across the sky. During this chase, he forgets to eat, and grows much thinner as the month progresses until it is nothing more than a crescent. To satisfy his hunger, he disappears for three days each month and then returns full, to chase his sister Malina. It is been said that that Malina wants to stay as far away from her bad brother as possible and that is why the moon and the sun rise and set at different times.

Malina and Anningan can afflict all those who offend them with diseases and illness. It is for this reason that during a lunar eclipse, women will not leave their homes and during the solar eclipse men remain at home.

Source:

The mask above is a shaman mask. Shamans would wear masks such as this one during healing ceremonies.

Click on image for full size (68K JPEG)

Image courtesy of Planet Art.

Anningan is the name of the Moon god of some Inuit tribes that live in Greenland. The Inuit are inhabitants of Alaska, Greenland and the Arctic. The word Inuit means "people." Its singular form is Inuk. The Athapascan speaking tribes of Alaska and Canada used to address the Inuit people with the offensive term of "Eskimo" which means "eaters of raw meat."

The Inuit people believe that once Anningan raped his sister, the Sun goddess Malina, and that he stubbornly continues to chase her in the sky. That is why the Sun and the Moon appear at different times in the sky. Anningan is so tenacious in his eternal pursuit of his sister that he neglects to eat. He becomes more and more thin until he is forced to come down to Earth and hunt for food. To satisfy his hunger, the Moon disappears from the sky for three days each month.

The Inuit believe that the Moon and the Sun hate each other and all members of the opposite sex. Occasionally, the moon-god reaches the sun-goddess and rapes her again, causing a solar eclipse. During a solar eclipse, men are supposed to remain at home if they do not want to become ill. Diseases are sent by Malina and Anningan upon those who offend them. Thus, during a lunar eclipse, women do not leave their homes.

Moreover, when a man dies or a girl is born, the Inuit believe there is a ring around the Moon which expresses the grief of the moon god, Anningan. The sun goddess expresses happiness for the same events, appearing twice in parhelion. Parhelion is an illusion of two or more suns, caused by certain atmospheric conditions.

Sedna is the Inuit Goddess of the Sea.

Sedna is a very significant figure in Inuit mythology. There are a number of different versions of the myth of Sedna. I will share with you the one I prefer.

As the legend goes, Sedna was a beautiful Inuit girl who lived with her father. She was very vain and thought she was too beautiful to marry just anyone. Time and time again she turned down hunters who came to her camp wishing to marry her. Finally one day her father said to her "Sedna, we have no food and we will go hungry soon. You need a husband to take care of you, so the next hunter who comes to ask your hand in marriage, you must marry him." Sedna ignored her father and kept brushing her hair as she looked at her reflection in the water.

Soon her father saw another hunter approaching their camp. The man was dressed elegantly in furs and appeared to be well-to-do even though his face was hidden. Sedna's father spoke to the man. "If you wish to seek a wife I have a beautiful daughter . She can cook and sew and I know she will make a good wife." Under great protest, Sedna was placed aboard of the hunters kayak and

journeyed to her new home. Soon they arrived at an island. Sedna looked around. She could see nothing. No sod hut, no tent, just bare rocks and a cliff. The hunter stood before Sedna and as he pulled down his hood, he let out and evil laugh. Sedna's husband was not a man as she had thought but a raven in disguise. She screamed and tried to run, but the bird dragged her to a clearing on the cliff. Sedna's new home was a few tufts of animal hair and feathers strewn about on the hard, cold rock. The only food she had to eat was fish. Her husband, the raven, brought raw fish to her after a day of flying off in search of food.

Sedna was very unhappy and miserable. She cried and cried and called her father's name. Through the howling arctic winds Sedna's father could hear his daughter's cries. He felt guilty for what he had done as he knew she was sad. Sedna's father decided it was time to rescue his daughter. He loaded up his kayak and paddled for days through the frigid arctic waters to his Sedna's home. When he arrived Sedna was standing on the shore. Sedna hugged her father then quickly climbed into his

kayak and paddled away. After many hours of travel Sedna turned and saw a black speck far off into the distance. She felt the fear well up inside of her for she knew the speck was her angry husband flying in search of her.

The big black raven swooped down upon the kayak bobbing on the ocean. Sedna's father took his paddle and struck at the raven but missed as the bird continued to harass them. Finally the raven swooped down near the kayak and flapped his wing upon the ocean. A vicious storm began to brew. The calm arctic ocean soon became a raging torrent tossing the tiny kayak to and fro. Sedna's father became very frightened. He grabbed Sedna and threw her over the side of the kayak into the ocean. "Here, he screamed, here is your precious wife, please do not hurt me, take her."

Sedna screamed and struggled as her body began go numb in the icy arctic waters. She swam to the kayak and reached up, her fingers grasping the side of the boat. Her father, terrified by the raging storm, thought only of himself as he grabbed the paddle and began to pound against Sedna's fingers. Sedna screamed for her father to stop but to no avail. Her frozen fingers cracked and fell into the ocean. Affected by her ghastly husbands powers, Sedna's fingers while sinking to the bottom, turned into seals. Sedna attempted again to swim and cling to her father's kayak. Again he grabbed the paddle and began beating at her hands. Again Sedna's hands, frozen by the arctic sea again cracked off. The stumps began to drift to the bottom of the sea, this time turned into the whales and other large mammals. Sedna could fight no more and began to sink herself.

Sedna, tourmented and raging with anger for what had happened to her, did not perish. She became, and still is today, the goddess of the sea. Sedna's companions are the seals, and the whales that sit with her at the bottom on the ocean. Her anger and fury against man is what drums up the violent seas and storms . Hunters have a great respect for her. Legend has it that they must treat her with respect. Shaman's from the world above must swim down to her to comb her long black tangled hair. This calms Sedna down. Once this is done, she releases her mammals to allow the Inuit to eat from the bounty of the sea. It is for this reason in the north that after a hunter catches a seal he drops water into the mouth of the mammal, a gesture to thank Sedna for her kindness in allowing him to feed his family.

This is the legend of Sedna.

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(This page was last updated January 14, 2000)