Magic Words: From the Ancient Oral Tradition of the Inuit is a modern translation (1965) of a very old Inuit creation story by nationally known poet Edward Field. As a poem it captures beautifully the intimate relationship this Arctic people have with their natural world.
Magic Words describes a world where humans and animals share bodies and languages, where the world of the imagination mixes easily with the physical. It began as a story that told how the Inuit people came to be and became a legend passed from generation to generation. In translation it grew from myth to poem. The text comes from expedition notes recorded by Danish explorer Knud Rasmussen in 1921. Edward Field got a copy from the Harvard Library and translated it into English.
Our review
One daughter said “It was brilliant.” The other said “I would definitely pick this up and read it four times.”
We loved this magical book about how animals and people were one and all languages were the same. Magic just happened when words were spoken because that’s how it was in that time. The illustrations were amazing and vividly coloured making this book a fantastic addition to any child’s book shelf. It also allowed some discussion about Inuit people and culture. I would highly recommended.
Magic Words describes a world where humans and animals share bodies and languages, where the world of the imagination mixes easily with the physical. It began as a story that told how the Inuit people came to be and became a legend passed from generation to generation. In translation it grew from myth to poem. The text comes from expedition notes recorded by Danish explorer Knud Rasmussen in 1921. Edward Field got a copy from the Harvard Library and translated it into English.
Our review
One daughter said “It was brilliant.” The other said “I would definitely pick this up and read it four times.”
We loved this magical book about how animals and people were one and all languages were the same. Magic just happened when words were spoken because that’s how it was in that time. The illustrations were amazing and vividly coloured making this book a fantastic addition to any child’s book shelf. It also allowed some discussion about Inuit people and culture. I would highly recommended.