aribou and seal on different days. Trapped animals were killed and their souls were given thanks for the success of the hunter. An animal soul was believed to pass to another animal, which would offer itself again to the hunter. The Inuit believed in life after death, and that the human life force (a part of which also dwelt in animals) was indestructible. Death shed no enlightenment - the spirit possessed the same personality and knowledge as the person in life. In icy or snowy conditions, the Inuit would leave the dead were they lay, if inland or placed into the water if along the coast. If rocks were available, the Inuit would "cage in" the body (cover) it with the rocks to keep out scavenging animals. The dead, were always wrapped in caribou skins before being left. In spite of very difficult living conditions, the Inuit were very hospitable and happy people and their communal life was filled with warmth and friendship.Inuit had no gods - only lots of spirits of greater or lesser power, and these might be avoided through ritual, but were never praised or worshipped. Most Inuit people did not like the idea of spirits, which could be blamed for lots of nasty things. They tried not to talk about them, for it was believed that such activities attract spirits. Spirits were almost always evil. The only people that made spirits their business were "shamans". These "shamans" had a whole arsenal of spirits to do their bidding. One of the reasons, why Christianity made such a big impression with Inuit is that the missionaries immediately saw a good thing in the traditional Inuit fear of spirits. The missionaries promised that Jesus could drive away spirits on behalf of anyone who was Christian, so the Inuit jumped right in. The missionaries were not very popular with the "shamans", who often tried to kill them. The supernatural has always exclusively been the province of "shamans"- not common people. Most Inuit today are...
