NIVINGARQUAQTITAQ, someone or something hanging
Geolocation
Relations
Item Relations
| This Item | related through common consecutive operations (sub-procedure): | Item: AMAJURJUK, the female being who carries humans in her parka |
| This Item | related through common consecutive operations (sub-procedure): | Item: PIRSURSIRAATTIAQ, the lynx |
Graphical representation of this item’s relations
Citation
Céline Petit, “NIVINGARQUAQTITAQ, someone or something hanging,” String figures, accessed February 24, 2026, https://stringfigures.huma-num.fr/items/show/254.
- Overall presentation
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Name : NIVINGARQUAQTITAQ, someone or something hanging
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Creator : Céline Petit
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Contributor(s) : Herve PANIAQ, Iglulik, Nunavut, Canada (video 1)
Susan AVINNGAQ, Iglulik, Nunavut, Canada (video 2)
Leonie QUNNUT, Iglulik, Nunavut, Canada
Mary Quliktalik NIRIUNGNIQ, Nunavut, Canada -
Date : 2005-2015
- Information on the string figure
This string figure represents someone (named Nivingarquaqtitaq) or something which is hanging (from 'nivingajuq', 'is suspended') and ultimately falls forwards or down (katak&uni).
According to the accompanying words (uttered when obtaining the suspended figure), 'Nivingarquaqtitaq' is asked to go and bring back something from the meat area (aki) in the snow house (igluvigaq, or possibly in the qarmaq - sod house). For some elders, 'Nivingarquaqtitaq' refers to a small child who is on the (bed) platform and is suspended to get down on the floor so that he can fetch a piece of meat from the aki, behind the oil lamp (qulliq). This string figure was collected in many Inuit groups (Alaska, Canada, Greenland).
According to the accompanying words (uttered when obtaining the suspended figure), 'Nivingarquaqtitaq' is asked to go and bring back something from the meat area (aki) in the snow house (igluvigaq, or possibly in the qarmaq - sod house). For some elders, 'Nivingarquaqtitaq' refers to a small child who is on the (bed) platform and is suspended to get down on the floor so that he can fetch a piece of meat from the aki, behind the oil lamp (qulliq). This string figure was collected in many Inuit groups (Alaska, Canada, Greenland).
1. Point the fingers away from the body and hang a loop over 1. 345 grasp the 1f string. 2 pass over 1n and point toward the body. 2 hook up 1n (= 2 rotate downward and away from the body catching up 1n and drawing it into a 2n position).
2. With the palms facing each other (and 2 pointing away from the body), insert proximally L1 into R1 loop; release R1 and insert proximally R1 into both L1 loops. Release 345 and extend.
3. Insert 5 proximally into 1 proximal loop. L5 hooks down (diagonal) L1f-R2f string ; R5 passes under R1f-L2f string and hooks down L2f.
4. Navajo 1.
5. Inuit Ending [= Insert 2 distally into 1 loop, 2 pick up 1n, release 1, and insert 1 into upper 2 loop: 1 pick up upper 2n, release 2. Proximally transfer 1 loop to 2].
6. R1 picks up the lower diagonal near string on the right side and the central part of the string that starts as L5n on the left side. Insert L1 proximally into both R1 loops.
7. Insert R1 proximally into R2 loop, Insert L1 proximally into L2 loop. Navajo 1, release 2 (= Inuit Ending). This is NIVINGARQUAQTITAQ. (Recitative starting from here).
8. Release R1. Nivingarquaqtitaq falls down.
(The reference here is video 2 : at step 2, L1 is first to enter proximally into R1 loop, which is the opposite in video 1 and leads to minor changes regarding the string hooked down by 5 at step 3).
2. With the palms facing each other (and 2 pointing away from the body), insert proximally L1 into R1 loop; release R1 and insert proximally R1 into both L1 loops. Release 345 and extend.
3. Insert 5 proximally into 1 proximal loop. L5 hooks down (diagonal) L1f-R2f string ; R5 passes under R1f-L2f string and hooks down L2f.
4. Navajo 1.
5. Inuit Ending [= Insert 2 distally into 1 loop, 2 pick up 1n, release 1, and insert 1 into upper 2 loop: 1 pick up upper 2n, release 2. Proximally transfer 1 loop to 2].
6. R1 picks up the lower diagonal near string on the right side and the central part of the string that starts as L5n on the left side. Insert L1 proximally into both R1 loops.
7. Insert R1 proximally into R2 loop, Insert L1 proximally into L2 loop. Navajo 1, release 2 (= Inuit Ending). This is NIVINGARQUAQTITAQ. (Recitative starting from here).
8. Release R1. Nivingarquaqtitaq falls down.
(The reference here is video 2 : at step 2, L1 is first to enter proximally into R1 loop, which is the opposite in video 1 and leads to minor changes regarding the string hooked down by 5 at step 3).
"Nivingarquaqtitaa ! Akimit ikanga qaittiku, he he !”
[Nivingarquaqtitaa, From the place where the meat is kept, bring some over there !]
[Nivingarquaqtitaa, From the place where the meat is kept, bring some over there !]
Iglulingmiut elders stress that the method of making this figure is related to those used for Amajurjuk and Pirsursiraattiaq.
"Niviŋaqtuaqtɔγyuk - something suspended" (Coronation gulf, Inuinnait), Jenness 1924 : 137, CXVIII, fig. 180 ("Dripping water", Nunamiut Inupiat, Inuvialuit).
"Nivingarssuartitaq", Mathiassen 1928: 223, fig. 177 (Aivilingmiut, Tununirmiut).
"Ijugkartarturjuk - the one (with something) that can fall down", Rasmussen 1932: 277, fig. 19 & 287, fig. 54 (East Copper/Inuinnait).
"A man hanging in a strap", Paterson 1949 : 23, fig. 22 (Cape York, Craig Harbour).
"Nivingahlruarsitaciaq - celui qui est suspendu", Mary-Rousselière 1969: 104-105, fig. 89 (Arviligjuarmiut).
See Wirt et al. 2009: 186 (BISFA 16) for the description of the method of making based on Jenness 1924: 137 (CXVIII), slightly different from the Iglulingmiut method.
"Nivingarssuartitaq", Mathiassen 1928: 223, fig. 177 (Aivilingmiut, Tununirmiut).
"Ijugkartarturjuk - the one (with something) that can fall down", Rasmussen 1932: 277, fig. 19 & 287, fig. 54 (East Copper/Inuinnait).
"A man hanging in a strap", Paterson 1949 : 23, fig. 22 (Cape York, Craig Harbour).
"Nivingahlruarsitaciaq - celui qui est suspendu", Mary-Rousselière 1969: 104-105, fig. 89 (Arviligjuarmiut).
See Wirt et al. 2009: 186 (BISFA 16) for the description of the method of making based on Jenness 1924: 137 (CXVIII), slightly different from the Iglulingmiut method.
- Item references
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Key words : String figure; String game; Inuit; Iglulik; Eastern Canada; Arctic
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Publisher : Laboratory SPHERE (UMR 7219, University of Paris & CNRS)
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Rights : Creative Commons / Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike CC BY-NC-SA
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Language : Inuktitut ; English
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Location : Iglulik (Igloolik), Nunavut, Canada
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Description : Iglulingmiut (Amitturmiut) Inuit string figure (Nunavut, Canada): symbolism, method of construction, references to the same figure as documented among different Inuit groups (Alaska, Canada, Greenland)