When learning a new culture, there are many things that we need to notice, dig into and get a good grasp on before we can teach in a way that will effectively communicate the truth of God’s Word without misunderstanding. Some of these cultural aspects are similar to our home culture, while others are very different.
One aspect of Inuit culture that has some surprising differences is the choice and meaning of names. Many Inuit we know have five or more names. Some of those names are given in a similar way to how we often give names; it’s just a nice name that carries no significant meaning. Some names, on the other hand, are very intentional and come with specific expectations. Often people are named after recently deceased relatives and bearing that name is a sense of reincarnation (another aspect of Inuit culture we need to understand better).
We have heard things like:
- “I am named after my uncle who had arthritis, that’s why I have joint pain. I am also scared of water because my other namesake drowned.”
- “I have dreams of being stabbed in the leg. Turns out my namesake was killed by being stabbed in the leg.”
- “My namesake was a great hunter. Even though I have hunted lots, I haven’t lived up to his name.”
- “I had a dream of an event that happened many years ago. When I asked about it, I was told my namesake was at the event. That is why I had that memory.”
We have learned that bearing someone’s name also comes with the expectation that you will exemplify their good qualities.
There are many different nuances related to giving names, which name is chosen, who chooses the name and so on! We have really only scratched the surface on this area of the culture and don’t pretend to understand it all.
Please pray for our team as we seek to understand this important part of who the Inuit are, as well as the many, many other areas of worldview that affect how God and His Word are perceived.
