The Sea Woman: Sedna in Inuit Shamanism and Art in the Eastern Ar »

Frédéric Laugrand is a professor in the Department of Anthropology and CIÉRA at the Université Laval in Quebec. Jarich Oosten is a professor in the Department of Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology at Leiden University.

This study offers an in-depth examination of the role of shamanism in modern Inuit art and culture. Inuit shamans derived their healing skills and power over natural elements from their ability to communicate with supernatural beings, such as Sedna the sea woman. As the authors document here, despite the current domination of Christianity, contemporary Inuit life and culture is still powerfully shaped by the shaman tradition. They focus on representations of the sea woman as an example of shamanism contextualized in art and explore what these depictions reveal about the dialogue between Inuit and Western cultures in the twentieth century.

Preface and Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1: The Quest for the Sea Woman

Chapter 2: The Creation of Human Beings and Sea Mammals

Chapter 3: The Descent to the Sea Woman and Her House

Chapter 4: Life and Death

Chapter 5: The Sedna Feast, the Tivajuut, and the Ascent of the Sea Woman

Chapter 6: Transformations

Chapter 7: Conclusions

References

Index