Ancient Land

On a tiny peninsula, the Inuit of Tikigaq worshipped the whales they killed, evolving an elaborate system of myths and rituals to accompany the hunt. Lowenstein began to explore these in 1973 and recorded the complex tales of the elders, providing a classic text on the vanishing culture of the North Alaskan wilderness.

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On a tiny peninsula called Tikigaq, an ancient people evolved an intricate, densely woven system of rites to accompany their hunting. For 1,500 years, until late last century, elaborate myth and magic were integral to the Tikigaq way of life. Tom Lowenstein began to tap this rich and sacred tore in 1973 when he met Asatchaq, who, born in 1891, was the last great singer and storyteller of his people. Ancient Land: Sacred Whale is a work unique in contemporary literature, combining scholarly insight with poetic mastery to bring the grandeur of ancient Tikigaq imagination to Ere. Widely acclaimed as a classic text on Inuit culture and mythology, Lowenstein's masterpiece is rich with the astonishing detail of ancient life. This "ancient" and yet most modern of texts culminates with a long poem of the whale hunt.