Kiviuq

Kira Van Deusen is a storyteller and musician who has done extensive research on the oral traditions of Siberian indigenous peoples and the Canadian Inuit. Her previous books include Singing Story, Healing Drum: Shamans and Storytellers of Turkic Siberia

"Missionaries forbade their converts any mention of the pre-Christian hero 'Kiviuq,' so each Inuit elder had to consider carefully before agreeing to speak out. Ms. Van Deusen brought to Nunavut the combination of respect and curiosity that had previously won her such powerful stories from Siberian aboriginal elders. If you read between the lines, this ancient story provides a key to human survival on earth." John Houston, filmmaker "A compelling project of the kind that only this author could have written - a creative and deeply human approach to a subject that invites a wide-range of reflections on oral and literary genres, native history and cultural change." Bruce Grant, anthropology, New York University "Van Deusen takes the reader on a journey into Inuit culture and from there across the Bering Straits into Sakha (Yakutiya) in Siberia, showing in deeply compelling ways how stories travel across cultures. I was enthralled." Adele Barker, Russian and Slavic Studies, University of Arizona