These people are of the belief that they are a unique group meant for a particularly special purpose. Their home, an island in the Arctic Circle, was once joined to the mainland south of them (Canada), so they teach. It was when Great Narwhal (an animal very revered and respected by them) split the land with a mighty plunge of his horn, sending the piece of land saved for these people up north to be remote and unreachable by others. They call themselves the Coirse people, a small and distant relative of a group of Inuits known as the Kimmirut. They live in the cold and arid territory of Nunavut, in northeastern Canada. In fact, the entirety of their population resides on Baffin Island, numbering at about 4,000-4,500. Because they are so secluded and remote, the genetic lineage remains quite pure and unmixed, making the entire population of Inuit ethnicity.
The terrain is hard and rocky, with short expanses of plains leading to jagged mountain and boulders carved by glaciers. The weather is nearly always cloudy and overcast, and there is often a fairly strong, consistent wind blowing. There is thick and frozen snow and ice for the majority of the year, even though they are located at the southern tip of the island. They experience about three months of night in winter and about three months of daylight in the summer.
Although they do get many of their supplies and needs through shipping and sea trade, the Coirse people receive nearly all of their food and nourishment from seafood from the ocean, so fishing and ocean navigation skills are highly prized. This 'Hunt in the Sea' is one of the four particular institutions that support their society. There is almost no agricultural cultivation at all, as the land is so cold and hard. Because the Coirse people depend heavily on the sea for their food and other important resources, the sea and animals that live within it are quite significant in Coirse culture, and deeply respected by them. The Narwhal horn, a very common symbol in Coirse culture, reflects the reverence for sea life, the fish that provide their food, the whale blubber that provides their fuel, and so on. It is also meant to invoke the memory of their creation of sorts, when the Great Narwhal broke the island off with his horn.
The Narwhal Horn, pictured above, is one of the most recognized of the many symbols present in Coirse culture. Among being an obvious reminder of the sea life that sustains & nourishes them, it has also come to represent the 'Hunt,' a big and important part of Coirse life.
A certain sense of kinship is strong among the Coirse, and in particular the relationship between siblings is the one most loved and emulated, another important institution. In following, the relationships Coirse siblings share with each other are all quite strong and deep, not quite comparable to any other social relationship. Their most celebrated holiday, in fact, is called pikattar and celebrates the bond between brothers and brothers, sisters and sisters, and brothers and sisters. This sense of brotherly kinship spans beyond biological connection, as well. Close companions are likened to siblings, and even married couples as well.
This symbol, known by the Coirse people as a kipat, is often used to invoke imagery of the sibling relationship. Here we see two symmetrical halves placed beside each other, representing how the relationship between siblings is what makes them a whole.
Their form of government, another institutional pillar in this culture, is influenced by their ideology on family: the leaders used to come only from a strict bloodline of ancient shamans, because the chiefs were required to be related by blood. Only men were (and still are) allowed to be chiefs, so it has always been a small collective of brothers ruling and delegating together. Because of the natural impracticality of the strict chief bloodline, the chiefs are no longer required to be descendants of such. They do, however, still participate in a ritual to be officially indoctrinated that involves the chief-to-be to bring an offering of blood (usually that of their 'spirit animal') which is used in a long and ancient ritual. There are four chiefs ruling at any time, which was never an official rule, but stemmed from their interest in and reverence of what they refer to as the four earthly elements. They operate by holding conferences with the male head of each individual household of a village, who is in turn the 'ruler' of sorts of his own family.
This cross has four ends and four circles nestled in the corners, representing the four head chiefs, as well as emulating for the Coirse people the earthly elements of fire, water, land, and sky.
The Coirse do not have a religion as we picture it, but more of a doctrine of spiritual traditions and guidelines, ancient beliefs passed down from generations. They feel a strong attachment to their land and to all the animals that live around them, so they find spiritual and religious guidance through the spirits of their animal counterparts. Their form of religion is not very rigid and rather more flexible, but they do have certain traditions they all equally participate in. When a Coirse youth comes of age (usually around 11 or 12), they are sent out with the task of discovering what their 'spirit animal' is, and to then form a special bond with it. They refer to this practice as one's 'Awakening,' and it is an intrinsic institution in this culture as well. It is nonetheless an important institution, and a Coirse cannot become a functioning adult in the society without it.
This image of the paw of a polar bear is the primary symbol for the 'Awakening,' as the journey chronicles the search within oneself for their own spirit animal. It has also come to represent as well the toils of the Awakening journey, and the strength and skills one needs to achieve success.
