Through the voices of Inuit elders, this book is a critical and cultural-historical engagement with the traditional concepts of tirigusuusiit, piqujait, and maligait.

These three concepts refer to what had to be followed, done, or not done in Inuit culture. Although these terms are now often used as equivalents to modern Western notions of law, this work examines how Inuit and Western concepts of law derive from completely different cultural perspectives. Through the guiding concepts of maligait, piqujait, and tirigusuusiit, this book transcends discussions of law, examining how these Inuit concepts are embedded in social and cosmic relationships.

This unique book examines these challenging concepts through the knowledge and stories of Inuit elders and evokes a unique experience whereby Western knowledge—embodied in the participating scholars—works to describe and understand Inuit knowledge and models of traditional law. This is a new and updated edition of Interviewing Inuit Elders Vol. 2: Perspectives on Traditional Law.

Contributing Elders: Mariano Aupilaarjuk, Marie Tulimaaq, Akisu Joamie, Émile Imaruittuq, and Lucassie Nutaraaluk

Jarich Oosten (1945–2016) was emeritus Professor of the Department of Anthropology at Leiden University and the author of numerous publications.

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Frédéric B. Laugrand is professor of anthropology at Université Laval and FNRS Fellow at Université catholique de Louvain in Belgium, and co-author of Inuit Shamanism and Christianity: Transitions and Transformation in the Twentieth Century. Jarich G. Oos

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Willem Rasing is a social studies and philosophy teacher and an associated researcher with the Department of Religious Studies, Theology, and Philosophy, Radboud University Nijmegen (The Netherlands). He is also a member of the Dutch research group Circumpolar Cultures. Willem’s research for Too Many People has helped establish the Igloolik Oral History Project as the leading archive of Inuit traditional knowledge and oral history.

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