ᐃᔨᕋᐃᑦ ᐋᖅᑭᒃᓯᒪᓂᖏᑦ ᑕᐃᒪᐃᓕᖓᐃᓐᓇᕈᓐᓇᖏᑦᑐᑦ. ᑖᒃᑯᐊ ᓄᓇᐅᑉ ᐊᓂᕐᓂᖏᑦ ᑕᑯᒃᓴᐅᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᓇᓗᓕᕐᒃᑎᑦᑎᔪᓐᓇᕐᒃᑐᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᖃᓄᐃᑦᑐᑐᐃᓐᓇᕐᓂ ᐆᒪᔪᕐᓂᒃ ᑕᐅᑦᑐᖃᓕᕈᓐᓇᕐᒃᑐᑦ ᐃᓕᓴᕐᓇᕈᓐᓃᖅᑎᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᐃᖕᒥᓂᒃ. ᐊᒥᓱᐊᕐᒃᑎᖅᖢᑎᒃ ᑐᓗᒐᙳᓲᑦ, ᓇᓄᐃᑦ, ᐊᒪᕈᐃᑦ ᐊᒡᓛᓪᓘᓐᓃᑦ ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ ᑕᐅᑦᑐᖃᓕᕈᓇᕐᒃᑐᑦ. ᑕᐃᒫᒃ ᓇᓗᓇᙱᔾᔪᑎᑐᐊᕆᔪᓐᓇᕐᒃᑕᖏᑦ ᐃᔨᕋᐃᑦ ᐃᔨᖏᑦ ᐊᐅᐸᐃᓐᓇᐅᔭᕐᒪᑕ. ᖃᓄᐃᑦᑐᑐᐃᓐᓇᐅᓕᕋᓗᐊᕈᑎᒃ, ᐃᓄᖅᑰᔨᓕᕋᓗᐊᕐᒃᐸᑕ ᐆᒪᔪᕐᒃᑎᑐᓪᓘᓐᓃᑦ, ᐃᔨᖏᑦ ᐊᐅᐸᐃᓇᐅᔭᕐᒃᑐᑦ.

ᑖᒃᑯᐊ ᐊᓯᔾᔨᕈᓘᔭᕈᓐᓇᕐᒃᑐᑦ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᐅᒐᔪᒃᑐᑦ ᐱᐅᖏᑑᓂᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓲᖑᔪᐊᓘᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᐊᒥᓲᔪᓂᒃ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᓂᒃ. ᑖᒃᑯᐊ ᐅᓂᑳᕐᒃᑐᐊᑦ ᓇᓗᓇᐃᖅᓯᔪᑦ ᐃᔨᕋᐃᑦ ᐅᑕᕿᖃᑕᕐᒃᑐᑦ ᐃᓄᑑᔪᓂᒃ ᐊᐅᓪᓛᖃᑦᑕᕐᒃᑐᓂᒃ, ᒪᖃᐃᖃᑕᕐᒃᑐᓂᒃ, ᑕᐅᑦᑐᖏᑦ ᐊᓯᔾᔨᖃᑦᑕᖅᑕᖏ ᒪᖓᑕᐃᔾᔪᑎᒋᓪᓗᓂᒋᑦ ᖃᒡᓕᔪᒪᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᐊᐅᓪᓚᕐᒃᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ.

ᐃᓐᓇᐃᑦ ᐃᓚᖏᑦ ᐅᖃᖃᑕᕐᒃᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᑖᒃᑯᐊᒎᖅ ᓄᓇᐅᑉ ᐊᓂᕐᓂᖏᑦ ᐱᐅᖏᑦᑑᖏᑐᑦ, ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᑐᑭᓯᓂᕐᓗᒃᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ. ᐊᑕᐅᓯᖅ ᐃᓐᓇᖅ ᐅᖃᖅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐃᒃᐱᒍᓱᒃᑎᐊᖂᔨᓪᓗᓂ ᑖᒃᑯᐊ ᐊᓂᕐᓃᑦ ᐊᕙᓗᔭᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐳᐃᑲᕐᓂᕐᓄᑦ. ᖃᖅᑲᐃᑦ ᐅᕝᕙᓘᓐᓃᑦ ᕿᑭᖅᑕᐃᑦ ᐊᖏᓂᖅᓴᐅᖅᑰᔨᓕᕌᖓᑕ ᐅᕝᕙᓘᓐᓃᑦ ᐅᖓᓯᒃᑐᐊᓘᖅᑰᔨᓕᕌᖓᑕ ᖃᓂᑦᑐᑯᓘᓕᕋᓗᐊᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ, ᑕᐃᒪ ᐃᔨᕋᕐᒥᒃ ᖃᓂᑦᑐᕐᒦᑐᖃᑐᐃᓐᓇᕆᐊᖃᕐᒃᐳᖅ. ᐃᓚᖏᑦ ᐃᓐᓇᐃᑦ ᐅᒃᐱᕈᓱᖂᔨᔪᑦ ᐃᔨᕋᐃᑦ ᓴᖅᑭᖃᑕᕐᒃᑐᑦ ᐊᐅᓪᓚᖅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᖃᓄᑐᐃᓐᓇᖅ ᑐᓴᕆᐊᖃᓕᕌᖓᑦ.

ᐊᒥᓲᔫᒐᓗᐊᑦ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᐅᕈᓘᔭᖃᑕᕐᓂᖏᑦ ᐃᔨᕋᐃᑦ ᖃᓄᐃᑦᑑᓂᖏᓐᓂᒃ, ᐊᑕᐅᓯᕐᓕ ᓇᓗᓇᖏᓪᓚᕆᒃᑐᖅ: ᑲᑎᑕᐅᓚᐅᖅᑎᓗᒋᑦ ᐃᔨᕋᐃᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐃᖅᑲᐅᒪᓂᖃᑦᑎᐊᕈᓐᓃᖃᑕᕐᒃᑐᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐳᐃᒍᕐᒃᓴᕋᐃᓕᕐᒃᖢᑎᒃ ᖃᓄᐃᖅᑲᐅᒐᓗᐊᕐᒪᖔᕐᒥᒃ.

ᐃᔨᕋᕐᒥᒃ ᑕᑯᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᒍᕕᑦ, ᐃᖅᑲᐅᒪᒋᑦ ᐃᓄᓐᓄᑦ ᐊᒥᓱᓄᑦ ᐅᖃᓪᓚᖃᑦᑕᕈᓘᔭᕐᓗᒋᑦ ᐅᖃᖃᑎᒋᔪᓐᓇᕐᒃᑕᓕᒫᕐᓄᑦ ᐳᐃᒍᕐᒃᓴᕋᐃᓕᓚᐅᖏᓐᓂᕐᓂ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐳᐃᒍᕐᒃᑕᐃᓕᒍᒃ ᑕᒪᓐᓇ ᐊᑐᓚᐅᕐᒃᑕᑦ.

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jirait aaqqiksimaningit taimailingainnarunnangittut. taakkua nunaup anirningit takuksaunikkut nalulirktittijunnarktut ammalu qanuittutuinnarni uumajurnik tauttuqalirunnarktut ilisarnarunniiqtillutik ingminik. amisuarktiq?utik tuluganngusuut, nanuit, amaruit aglaalluunniit inuktitut tauttuqalirunarktut. taimaak nalunanngijjutituarijunnarktangit ijirait ijingit aupainnaujarmata. qanuittutuinnauliraluarutik, inuqquujiliraluarkpata uumajurktitulluunniit, ijingit aupainaujarktut.

taakkua asijjiruluujarunnarktut uqausiugajuktut piungituuninginnik ammalu suungujualuullutik amisuujunik unikkaanik. taakkua unikaarktuat nalunaiqsijut ijirait utaqiqatarktut inutuujunik aullaaqattarktunik, maqaiqatarktunik, tauttungit asijjiqattaqtangi mangataijjutigillunigit qaglijumallutik aullarksimajunik.

innait ilangit uqaqatarksimajut taakkuaguuq nunaup anirningit piungittuungitut, kisiani tukisinirluktausimajut. atausiq innaq uqaqsimajuq ikpigusuktiaquujilluni taakkua anirniit avalujausimajut puikarnirnut. qaqqait uvvaluunniit qikiqtait anginiqsauqquujiliraangata uvvaluunniit ungasiktualuuqquujiliraangata qanittukuluuliraluaqtillugit, taima ijirarmik qanitturmiituqatuinnariaqarkpuq. ilangit innait ukpirusuquujijut ijirait saqqiqatarktut aullaqsimajuq qanutuinnaq tusariaqaliraangat.

amisuujuugaluat uqausiuruluujaqatarningit ijirait qanuittuuninginnik, atausirli nalunangillariktuq: katitaulauqtilugit ijirait inuit iqqaumaniqattiarunniiqatarktut ammalu puigurksarailirk?utik qanuiqqaugaluarmangaarmik.

ijirarmik takulauqsimaguvit, iqqaumagit inunnut amisunut uqallaqattaruluujarlugit uqaqatigijunnarktalimaarnut puigurksaraililaunginnirni ammalu puigurktailiguk tamanna atulaurktat.

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The Ijiraat are the shape-shifters. These land spirits are elusive and can transform into any arctic animal to disguise themselves. Most often they take the shape of a raven, bear, wolf or even a human. The only part of the Ijiraat that it cannot disguise is its red eyes. In all of it forms, both human and animal, its eyes always remain red.

These hidden creatures are portrayed as evil and malicious in many stories. These stories warn that the Ijiraat lie in wait for lone travelers, changing shape to fool and get close to the travelers.

Some elders argue that these land spirits and are not inherently evil, but rather misunderstood. One elder warned that these spirits are surrounded by mirages. When mountains or islands on the horizon look bigger or closer than they really are, an Ijiraat might be near. It seems some elders believe that the Ijiraat often appear to bring messages to travelers.

Although many interpretations of the Ijiraat exist, one thing seems to be certain: After an encounter with the Ijiraat people tend to experience memory loss and quickly forget the details of what happened.

If you ever encountered an Ijiraat, remember to talk to as many people as possible before you memory begins to fail and you forget the experience.