Inuit religion has been around for as long as there have been Inuit. The Inuit religion is not the same as it was a thousand years ago. A thousand years ago the Inuit religion was basically referred to as animism. Animism is the belief that everything has a soul, including the animals (Watson, Bratton, no date). The Inuit religion of the past was centered on myths, rituals and beliefs. The Inuit religion of today has changed from worshiping and praying to several spiritual Gods to worshiping only God the Father in Heaven. The change in their beliefs started long before they ever laid eyes on the white man (R. Carleton, personal communication, 1-26-07). The Inuit Church service that this author feels that the Inuit have a real sense of the word religion. They care about the land and all that is on the land. They are thankful for each and everything God has given us. They make a person feel like their religion is the way it was meant to be.
The Traditional Culture and Religion
The Inuit of a thousand years ago relied on their shaman for advice before making some decisions. The shaman was a respected member of the community and was most often a man. The shaman was believed to have magical powers, be able to cure sickness, tell the future, find lost objects and most importantly it was believed they could talk to the spirits. Shamans were sometimes feared because they may be evil. Shamans believed in the powerful spirits, such as Sedna who was the God of the sea beast. Breaking Sednas' rules would bring bad luck. This could result in the lack of sea animals being caught. If this happened, the shaman would have to go down to Sednas' ocean home and calm her by untangling her hair and releasing the animals that were caught ...