ᑑᑕᕐᔪᒃ: ᐊᔭᕌᑉ ᐃᓄᖓ Tuutarjuk: The Spirit of String Figures

ᓇ ᐃᓚ ᖁᕕᐊᒋᔭᖃᖅᐳᖅ ᐊᔭᕌᕐᓂᕐᒥᒃ. ᐃᓛᓐᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᐊᔭᕌᖏᓐᓇᓕᖅᐸᒃᐳᖅ ᐊᓈᓇᖓᑕ ᐃᑲᔪᖁᒐᓗᐊᖅᑎᓪᓗᓂᐅᒃ ᓄᓇᓕᕋᓛᖓᓂ, ᐅᓐᓄᒃᓰᕙᒃᐳᕐᓗ ᓯᓂᒋᐊᖃᕋᓗᐊᖅᑐᓂ. ᓇᐃᓚᐅᑉ ᐊᓈᓇᑦᓯᐊᖓ ᐅᖃᐅᔾᔨᓕᖅᐳᖅ ᓱᕈᓰᒡᒎᖅ ᐅᓐᓄᐊᒃᑯᑦ ᐊᔭᕌᖅᑐᑦ ᑕᐃᒪᐃᖁᔭᐅᙱᒃᑲᓗᐊᖅᑐᑎᒃ ᐅᐸᒃᑕᐅᓲᖑᕗᑦ ᑑᑕᕐᔪᖕᒧᑦ, ᑑᕐᖓᕈᓗᒃ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖅᑐᐊᖏᓐᓂᑦ ᐱᔪᖅ ᓵᓚᖃᕈᒪᓲᖅ ᓱᕈᓯᕐᓂᒃ ᐊᔭᕌᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ — ᑎᒡᓕᒃᐸᒃᑐᓂᒋᑦ ᓵᓚᒋᔭᕌᒥᒋᑦ. ᓇᐃᓚᐅᑉ ᐊᔭᕌᕈᓐᓇᕐᓂᖓ ᐆᒃᑐᖅᑕᐅᓕᖅᐳᖅ, ᐅᓐᓄᐊᕌᓗᑯᑦ, ᓴᖅᑭᒻᒪ ᑑᑕᕐᔪᒃ ᑎᐱᖓᓂ.

ᓇᐃᓚ ᓵᓚᖃᕈᓐᓇᖅᐹ ᑖᔅᓱᒥᖓ ᑑᕐᖓᕐᒥᒃ, ᐅᕝᕙᓘᓐᓃᑦ ᑎᒡᓕᒑᖑᓂᐊᓕᖅᐸ?

Nyla loves to make string figures. She’s getting pretty good at making different shapes and sometimes she even makes them when her mom asks her to help out around camp, or late at night when she is supposed to be sleeping. 

Nyla’s grandmother warns her that children who play string games when they are not supposed to are at risk of meeting Tuutarjuk, the creature from Inuit stories that challenges children to string games—and carries them off if they don’t win.

Nyla’s sure her grandmother is just kidding. And anyway, if Tuutarjuk were real, Nyla knows she could beat it at making string figures. Late one night, Nyla’s boastfulness is tested when Tuutarjuk appears in her tent. 

Will she meet the creature’s challenge, or be carried off into the night?

Coming September 8, 2026. Click here to sign up for our newsletter and be the first to know when it’s out!

ᓗᐃᔅ ᕝᓚᕼᐅᕐᑎ  ᐊᒻᒪ  ᓃᓪ ᑯᕆᔅᑕᕗ Written by Louise Flaherty and Neil Christopher | ᔭᐃᐱᑎ ᐊᕐᓇᑲᒃ Edited by Jaypeetee Arnakak | ᑳᒐᓐ ᒪᒃᓚᐅᑦ Illustrated by Kagan McLeod

Hardcover (Inuktitut/English) | ISBN: 978-1-77227-664-0 | $24.95 | 10″ x 8″ | 40 pages | Full-colour illustrations throughout | Ages 6-8 |