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INUINNAQTUN PITIKSILIURNIQ

THE INUINNAQTUN BOW MAKING TRADITION

TALUAQTURVIK / THE CARIBOU DRIVE

Inuinnait used bows most successfully by using shooting blinds or talut along known caribou travel routes. Often, talut would be part of a  taluaqturvik or caribou drive system. A taluaqturvik consisted of several elements. A number of talut were constructed with stones covered in tundra. Archers would hide behind these talut and shoot their bows at passing caribou. 

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A taluq at Fishing Creek Lake, 2018.  Photo by Max Friesen.

Copper Inuit stone 'blind' at Bernard Harbour, Northwest Territories (Nunavut) (Sir George H. Wilkins/CMH/51222)

Kringaudlik of Bathurst Inlet shooting a

Kringaudlik (photo on left) was photographed by Rudolph Anderson of the Canadian Arctic Expedition demonstrating the position one would have when shooting from behind a talut. The hiding space behind the barrier is referred to as the talumiuvik. A collection of talut at the end of a caribou drive are called a pitiktarvik.  A line of inukhuit or stone markers would guide the caribou in to the pitiktarvik. There would also be interspersed aulaqut, to keep the caribou worried and moving in the right direction. Aulaqut were sticks with a piece of skin or a piece of wood tied on to them to create movement. 

Kringaudlik of Bathurst Inlet shooting arrow from bow at Cape Wollaston. May 19, 1916. (Rudolph Anderson/CMH/39039)

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Women would drive the caribou from behind towards the pitiktarvik by waving their arms and making sounds. When someone is driving the caribou it is referred to as unguuqtuq. The caribou that is being driven toward the talut is referred to as taluliaqtuq. 

This drawing by Ikpakhuak shows a representation of a taluaqturvik. 

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