helen caswell

This multicultural children's book contains legends and myths from the Eskimo people along with traditionally-drawn illustrations.

The Singing House is where the Eskimos assembled in the ancient days to sing the songs that told the stories of why the raven is black or how the fog came to be. For without the means to record these tales, how else but through these songs were the succeeding generations to know of the past?

These ancient Eskimo folk tales were once sung in the Singing House. They are full of enchanting magic and strange spells. As the storyteller sings his song and the shadows dance upon the walls, we learn of Ka-ha-si who holds up the world and causes earthquakes each time he changes his position to get a better grip. We hear, too, of how the sun was placed in the sky and why a certain mountain range resembles a dragon (some say it was a dragon once upon a time).

The tales in this book are all authentic Eskimo legends passed down from generations past. They have a distinct native quality of the Eskimo, and like fairy tales and legends of other countries, they are overflowing in fanciful magic.