Perspectives on Traditional Law does not address Western perspectives on law or means of social control, nor Western interpretations of Inuit concepts of law. It instead confines itself to Inuit interpretations of maligait, piqujait, and tirigusuusiit?the meanings of which require considerable exploration?and to applications of these in traditional day-to-day life.

The book is based on interviews with Inuit elders conducted during two courses at Nunavut Arctic College's Iqaluit campus in 1997 and 1998.

Part One consists of four chapters which address traditional legal concepts, respect for wildlife, means of dealing with wrong-doers and the place of women in traditional Inuit society.

Part Two consists of seven chapters addressing in turn the role of community leaders, explorations of the concepts of ownership and murder, a comparison of relatively new and traditional stories (which frequently incorporated a moral element), and songs.

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

Frederic B. Laugrand's profile page

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