The Interviews - Related Artwork from Cape Dorset Collection
Q. Were you betrothed to someone even before you were born when you were
still in you mother's womb?
A. Yes, After I was born when someone got pregnant who was living in the
same camp as we were, it was decided that when she gave birth to a girl
then I was going to be betrothed to her. So then when she was born I was
betrothed. I started to remember things that happened around me knowing
that I was going to get married to the girl when I became of age. She is
still alive the one that I was supposed to have gotten married to. I get
to see her once in a long while.
Q. Even though you were betrothed to her, did you take another woman for your
wife?
A. Yes. It was this way. Shortly after the people had been converted to
Christianity there were those that followed different denominations. There
were those that followed Catholicism and there were those that followed
the Anglican Church. At that time they acted as if they were adversaries
because they belonged to different denominations. As it turned out the people
really have not understood what the religion was supposed to be all about,
nor were they well informed about these things, so they ended up being adversaries.
Both belittled each other and were divided from each other. That was the
way we were, including myself.
This was because we really did not understand nor did we know the whole
concept of Christianity. I belonged to the Catholic Church while my future
wife belonged to the Anglican Church. When I thought that I had become of
age to marry I wanted her for my wife, but the parents did not want her
to marry me because she and I did not belong to the same church. That was
the reason why I did not marry her. She is still alive today, just as I
am. I had to be married off to someone else that had the same religion.
As for getting married, for those of us who got married in earlier times,
we used to get married to a woman that did not wish to be married off at all.
There was never a time when the woman showed any signs of willingness at
all. Both parents of the man and the woman would have agreed to the marriage
before you even knew about it. They would tell you afterwards that you are
to marry a certain woman. It happened to me, and I know that this happened
to someone else. The woman would not want to be married off and would really
be really against the marriage, but the parents had agreed that she should
be married. I have never seen any time that this led to the separation of
the two married people, even though the woman would have been really against
getting married.
Q. Did you have to fight with her?
A. We would have to fight them because they are really against being married
off, indeed the woman would be brawling because she did not wish to be married.
That is what happened in my case and I know of others that happened to them
also. Once she started to accept you there was never a time when the thought
of separation occurred to us. In recent times they even have become subject
to envy because they are able to get together so easily without any struggle
to get together. In addition, they have started to get separated. I have
noticed that.
Q. In the old times would they be against getting married off but once they
had accepted it, would they really start to love each other?
A. That is the way it appeared. There were not too many separations, at
least I have never seen an incident where there was a separation. In addition,
there were not too many people. The population was not as great as it is
now. Now there are a lot more people than in the past. Even if the people
in this community were to separate there still would be a lot of people.
In the years past there were not as many people as today and there were
fewer births. The woman would give birth once in a long while, but now we
live in houses and the community has been urbanized so that there are a
lot more births.
Q. When you were not able to get married to the woman you were betrothed
to, did you ask your parents for them to get you another woman, or were
you told by your parents?
A. I was told by my parents. I really did not think about getting married
because I was not sure of myself, so I was only waiting. Then I was told
who I should get married to. She did not wish to be married off to me but
I went after her. That was the way we were.
Q. Were you pretty young at the time?
A. I was very young at the time. I had my first daughter when I was eighteen
years old.
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