Penetration, devoration, metamorphoses, adoption
This article examines the relations between the Inuit and qupirruit “creepy-crawlies”, by comparing oral tradition texts with ethnozoological and linguistic data collected in the field. In comparison to the other Inuit taxonomic categories, the category qupirruit is highly heterogeneous and includes insects as well as worms and spiders, and even some small crustaceans. The contrast is striking between the absence of “creepy-crawlies” from the subsistence domain and their remarkable presence in the collective imagination which portrays them as interacting with humans, inspired by various empirical facts. Relations between qupirruit and humans are mostly construed in terms of physical aggression. This aggression can take on the form of parasitism, but pertains more often to the penetration and devouring of humans, even in specific contexts such as adoption. The human body is also seen as grounds favored by qupirruit for transforming into other qupirruit, all of which trigger in the Inuit feelings of fear and repulsion.