A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

Overview

After a long storm-driven journey, Kiviung finds Arnaitiang alone in a lit house. She receives him, removes his wet footwear and places it on the drying rack. Whenever he reaches for it, the rack rises. Her instruction to change his seat does not help. The narration explains that she intends to eat him; the clothing delay prevents easy departure rather than establishing a general power over every visitor's possessions.

Kiviung summons his spirit helper, a large white bear roaring beneath the floor. Terrified, Arnaitiang returns the footwear, but the closing doorway tears the tail of his coat as he flees. She pursues him to shore and threatens him with a glittering woman's knife. Her words nearly overturn his kayak. He answers with his spear and she falls in fright; the broken knife is revealed as freshwater ice. He then continues through the remaining Kiviung adventures. Her confrontation ends in escape, not a stated killing of Arnaitiang.

Drying rack retreats from the guestFears Kiviung's spirit bearApparently dangerous knife proves to be ice
01

Origins & earliest records

Boas published this witness in The Central Eskimo (1888), a work based chiefly on his Cumberland Sound and Davis Strait travels and supplemented by other travellers' reports. The selected passage does not supply a named speaker or a specific interview date. Its historical spellings and editorial framework remain attributed rather than generalized to every Inuit region.

02

Records & interpretation

Kiviung, complete tale read; Arnaitiang episode in first hostile-house encounter. The complete selected narrative was read, with the introduction defining the collection's mixed evidentiary scope. Publication is not claimed as the first oral origin.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

  1. 01

    The Central Eskimo

    Franz Boas · 1888

    Kiviung, complete tale read; Arnaitiang episode in first hostile-house encounter.

Family & connections

A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

  1. Primary textBoas1888: Kiviung, complete tale read; Arnaitiang episode in first hostile-house encounter.Research access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

FT·2469 · RESEARCH EDITION 01Back to top ↑