On February 11, 2026No Comments

The Legend of the Disappearing Dogs – ᕿᒻᒦᓯᔪᑦ

ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖅᑐᐊᖏᑦ, ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖅᑕᐅᔪᖅ ᓴᓂᑭᓗᐊᕐᒥᐅᑕᕐᒧᑦ ᐃᓐᓇᕐᒧᑦ ᓕᓯ ᖃᕝᕕᒃ-ᒥᑭᔪᕐᒧᑦ ᒪᕐᕉᖕᓂᒃ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᖃᖅᑐᓂ, ᓇᓗᓇᐃᖅᓯᔪᖅ ᐊᔾᔨᐅᖖᒋᑦᑐᒥᒃ ᐃᓂᒥᒃ ᓴᓂᑭᓗᐊᑉ ᓯᓚᑖᓃᑦᑐᒥᒃ, ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ.

This Inuit legend, shared by Sanikiluaq Elder Lisi Kavik-Mickiyuk as a bi-lingual story, explains the origins of a unique location outside of Sanikiluaq, Nunavut.

ᐱᖑᕐᒥ ᓄᓇᓕᖓᑕ ᓯᓚᑖᓂ, ᖃᓕᖑᓛᕐᕙᓗᒃᑐᒥᒃ ᖁᐃᓕᖅᑕᓇᖅᑐᒥᒃ ᑐᓴᖅᓴᐅᔪᖃᓲᖅ. ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ ᑕᐃᔭᐅᓂᖓ ᐱᖒᑉ, ᖃᓕᖑᓗᒃ, ᓄᓇ ᖃᓕᖑᓛᕐᕙᓕᒃᑎᔪᖃᓲᖅ. ᐅᕙᓂᖅ ᐅᖃᓕᒫᒐᕐᒥ, ᐅᖃᓕᒫᖅᑎᑦ ᑐᑭᓯᓂᐊᖅᑐᑦ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᑉ ᐱᒋᐊᕐᕕᕕᓂᖓᓂᒃ ᑲᒪᓇᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᕿᒻᒥᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪ ᖃᓄᖅ ᐱᖑᕐᒧᑦ ᐊᒃᑐᐊᓕᕐᓂᕐᒪᖔᑕ.
On a hill outside the community, it is said that ghostly dog growls can be heard. The Inuktitut name for the hill, Qalinguluk, means “a place where you can sometimes hear dogs growling.” In this book, readers will learn about the origin of these mysterious dogs and how they came to be associated with this hill.

ᐃᒥᕐᒧᑦ ᒥᖑᐊᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᕗᑦ ᓴᓂᑭᓗᐊᕐᒥᐅᖑᑯᑖᒃᓯᒪᔪᒧᑦ ᒫᑯᔭ ᓗᐊᔭᓐᔅᒧᑦ ᐊᔾᔨᐅᖖᒋᑦᑐᒥᒃ ᐃᒃᐱᖕᓇᖅᑎᑦᑎᔪᒥᒃ ᑖᔅᓱᒥᖓ ᐃᓂᒥᒃ.
Watercolour illustrations by long-time Sanikiluaq resident Margaret Lawrence give the book an authentic feeling of this distinctive place.

ᑎᑎᕋᖅᑐᖅ ᓕᓯ ᖃᕝᕕᒃ-ᒥᑭᔪ – Written by Lisi Kavik-Mickiyuk | ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖅᑐᖅ ᒫᑯᔭ ᓗᐊᔭᓐᔅ – Illustrated by Margaret Lawrence