Kiviuq and the Mermaids by N. McDermott

Abstract

McDermott, Noel. Kiviuq and the Mermaids. Illus. Tom Feizo Gas. Inhabit Media, 2016.

Following his previous works on Inuit culture including Akinirmut Unipkaaqtuat: Stories of Revenge (2006), and Unikkaaqtuat: Traditional Inuit Stories (2015), Noel McDermott, a retired professor of literature at Nunavut Arctic College in Iqaluit, Nunavut, focuses on one of the greatest and most important characters appearing in traditional stories of Inuit culture, Kiviuq, in Kiviuq and the Mermaids, a book for young readers.

The story begins with a Grandfather speaking directly to the reader, introducing Kiviuq and his wandering life to newcomers and then getting directly into the action, wherein Kiviuq narrowly survives a storm during a seal hunt and is left alone at sea. Here he meets a tuutalik (mermaid) but it doesn’t go well at all as it begins to taunt Kiviuq and what begins as a strange encounter quickly becomes a matter of life and death.

The story is an excellent introduction to one of the key figures in traditional Inuit stories, and the action, brought to life by Illustrator Toma Feizo Gas is both entrancing and sometimes quite frightening. Themes of personal responsibility, self-reliance and man versus nature work to introduce the reader to the character and promises of further stories may even have readers doing their own research into other stories of Kiviuq. A glossary of Inuktitut terms at the end of the book include a pronunciation guide and the story itself would work well for young students interested in the traditional stories of Canada’s Inuit peoples.

Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 stars

Reviewer: Kirk MacLeod

Kirk is the Open Data Team Lead for the Government of Alberta’s Open Government Portal. A Life-Long reader, he moderates two book clubs and is constantly on the lookout for new great books!