Description
THE LEGEND OF THE SEA GODDESS*
Nuliajuk was a beautiful girl who had refused many offers of marriage. One day, a young hunter arrived at her father’s camp; dressed in warm furs, he spoke in a soft voice and promised to provide Nuliajuk with a good home and animals for food and clothing. He kept his face hidden under his hood but Nuliajuk was sufficiently impressed with him, and she agreed to marry him. When she arrived at her new home on a remote island, Nuliajuk discovered that her husband was not a man but a bird. Cold and hungry, she cried out for her father to come save her. But as she and her father paddled away, they were caught in a strong wind created by the bird’s furious wingbeats. Fearing for his life, Nuliajuk’s father threw her over the side of the umiak. She tried to save herself by holding on, but her father cut off her fingers and she fell into the water. As she sank to the bottom of the ocean, her fingers and hands took the form of different marine mammals and she became the Sea Goddess. Hunters came to depend on her goodwill: when humans transgress the laws of nature, the Sea Goddess keeps her children (the sea animals) away, and the Angakkuq (shaman) must appease her by combing her hair.
*This is just one version of the legend, which may differ from region to region
ITEM SPECIFICATIONS
- Item Number: 201525
- SRP: $99.95
- Mintage: 5,000
- Composition: 99.99% pure silver
- Weight*: 31.39 g
- Diameter: 38 mm
- Face Value: $20
- Finish: Proof
- Edge: Serrated
- Artist: Jason Sikoak
- Packaging: Black clamshell with black beauty box
- Finished Size: 67 mm x 67 mm
KEY FEATURES
- New series! Coin #1 in a new annual series. The Generations series brings you stories from different Indigenous peoples and communities in Canada, with one new coin issued annually. The first legend comes from the four regions of Canada that are collectively known as Inuit Nunangat, which is indicated on the coin’s reverse (“ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓄᓇᖓᑦ”).
- Rich storytelling. The coin’s reverse tells the tale of a beautiful Inuk who was tossed into the ocean and became the mother of all marine mammals. While the legend differs from region to region, and between communities, the Sea Goddess remains an important figure in Inuit mythology.
