Author Markoosie Patsauq’s shocking story, translated directly from Inuktitut into English by Valerie Henitiuk and Marc-Antoine Mahieu, will open readers’ eyes to what life is like for a young Inuit hunter living in the Canadian Arctic. At 15 years old, Kamik makes the difficult decision to go on a long and perilous journey to take revenge on the polar bear that not only attacked his village but killed his father. Throughout Kamik’s journey, Patsauq does not shy away from describing the heart-wrenching dangers that Inuit face daily, providing a record of the truth of Inuit daily life. Hunter with Harpoon is the embodiment of a collective Inuit wisdom and worldview that teaches us about human nature, motivation, and experience.

104 pp., 6 × 8"

Markoosie Patsauq (Inuit)

Source: Association of Book Publishers of BC - Canadian Indigenous Books for Schools (2021-2022)

Markoosie Patsauq (1941-2020) was a writer, retired pilot, and community leader. He lived near Inukjuak, Nunavik.

Markoosie Patsauq's profile page

Valerie Henitiuk is the executive director of the Centre for the Advancement of Faculty Excellence, and professor in the Department of English at MacEwan University. Her research focuses primarily on translation studies, world literature, Japanese literature, and women’s writing. She is also editor-in-chief of the journal Translation Studies.

Valerie Henitiuk's profile page

Marc-Antoine Mahieu is professor of Inuktitut at the Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales, Université Sorbonne Paris Cité, and consultant for the Kativik school board in Nunavik.

Marc-Antoine Mahieu's profile page

"Both a pivotal work of Indigenous fiction and an effort to acknowledge and correct injustices, Hunter with Harpoon is a testament to the resilience of the Inuit people." Foreword Reviews

«Uumajursiutik unaatuinnamut priorise l’écrit en inuktitut pour sa valeur en soi et dans ses propres termes. Enfin, la collaboration entre Henitiuk, Mahieu et Patsauq contribue à donner une visibilité à un auteur à la langue riche et vivante et à une culture littéraire proprement inuit.» Anthropologie et Sociétés

“This remarkable scholarly edition, … is renamed as Hunter with Harpoon, and reinstates the Inuktitut version by drawing heavily on the original handwritten story. The editors were also able to work in consultation with the elderly author, allowing them to discuss the production of this book in the context of his long career.” The Northern Review