IKUMARATTIAQ (TAQQUTILIK), the flames of the oil lamp (and the wick tender)
Geolocation
Relations
Item Relations
| Item: IKUMARATTIAQ QAMINGASUKTUQ, the oil lamp with extinguished fire | related through common consecutive operations (sub-procedure): | This Item |
| Item: IKUMARATTIAQ SUKALIK, the oil lamp with flames on a support | related through common consecutive operations (sub-procedure): | This Item |
Graphical representation of this item’s relations
Citation
Céline Petit, “IKUMARATTIAQ (TAQQUTILIK), the flames of the oil lamp (and the wick tender),” String figures, accessed February 24, 2026, https://stringfigures.huma-num.fr/items/show/279.
- Overall presentation
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Name : IKUMARATTIAQ (TAQQUTILIK), the flames of the oil lamp (and the wick tender)
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Creator : Céline Petit
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Contributor(s) : Herve PANIAQ, Iglulik, Nunavut, Canada
Celina IRNGAUT, Iglulik, Nunavut, Canada (interpreter) -
Date : 2015-2021
- Information on the string figure
This string figure represents the flames (ikumat) of the oil lamp (qulliq). In the Iglulik area, it is named 'ikumarattiaq taqqutilik' since the image of a wick tender (an implement for straightening wick of oil lamp) -taqqutinnguaq- appears in the form of a long hanging loop during the making process.
This figure was collected with quite a similar interpretation (and methodology of making) in several Inuit societies of the Central and Eastern American Arctic, where the oval soapstone lamp was largely used. A similar figure -obtained through a close method of making- was however documented among Inupiat of Alaska, as referring either to 'a line of clothes - iniarat' (Cape Prince of Wales, Gordon 1906: 91) or to 'a range of mountains' (Barrow, Inland, Jenness 1924: 155-156).
This figure was collected with quite a similar interpretation (and methodology of making) in several Inuit societies of the Central and Eastern American Arctic, where the oval soapstone lamp was largely used. A similar figure -obtained through a close method of making- was however documented among Inupiat of Alaska, as referring either to 'a line of clothes - iniarat' (Cape Prince of Wales, Gordon 1906: 91) or to 'a range of mountains' (Barrow, Inland, Jenness 1924: 155-156).
1. Position I. R1 (pointing downward) hooks up LH palmar string (rotating AWAY from the body and up) and returns. L1 (pointing downward) hooks up RH palmar string (rotating away from the body and up). Extend (with all fingers pointing upward).
2. 1 picks up 5n, release 5 loop. Maintain loops' order.
3. 5 enters proximally into 1 loops, L5 and R5 get close to one another and 5 hooks down TV 1f (to the palm).
4. 2 enters distally (= from the far side) into 1 loops (= passing over TV 1f). 2 pushes up (and outwards) oblical 1n, and (with the help of 3) hooks up the upper TV 1n (rotating away from the body and up). Release the two 'upper' 1 loops, 1 keeping only the 'lower' TV/hanging 1n. Extend.
5. There are two triangles formed at the center of the figure, one at the bottom pointing upward and one at the top pointing downward. 1 enters from the near side into the triangle at the bottom and picks up the two diagonal strings forming respectively the closest sides of each triangle (the one pointing upwards and the other pointing downwards) on its side.
6. Inuit Ending (= 1 enters proximally into 2 loop, Navajo 1 and remove 2). The wick tender (taqquti) -or an image of it (taqqutinnguaq)- is now visible : this is the loop hanging on the right side.
7. 2 enters distally/from the far side into the 'X' formed in the upper part of the figure (= pass 2 under the TV string running in the upper part of the figure, and over the loose string that crosses over the TV string in its middle). Pushing up this TV string, 2 enters distally into 1 loop, then picks up 1n (close to 1) and returns (away from the body) passing through 2 proximal loop. Remove 1. Extend and adjust so that two small loops are formed at the bottom on each side of the figure.
8. 1 enters from the center (and the near side) into each of these small loops, and picks up the far string (= the one on the far side) of the loop.
9. Inuit Ending (= 1 enters proximally into 2 loop, Navajo 1 and remove 2). Proximally transfer 1 loop to 2.
10. With 1, press down the lower TV string while removing 5 and extending. These are the flames (ikumat) of the oil lamp (qulliq), 'ikumarattiaq'.
2. 1 picks up 5n, release 5 loop. Maintain loops' order.
3. 5 enters proximally into 1 loops, L5 and R5 get close to one another and 5 hooks down TV 1f (to the palm).
4. 2 enters distally (= from the far side) into 1 loops (= passing over TV 1f). 2 pushes up (and outwards) oblical 1n, and (with the help of 3) hooks up the upper TV 1n (rotating away from the body and up). Release the two 'upper' 1 loops, 1 keeping only the 'lower' TV/hanging 1n. Extend.
5. There are two triangles formed at the center of the figure, one at the bottom pointing upward and one at the top pointing downward. 1 enters from the near side into the triangle at the bottom and picks up the two diagonal strings forming respectively the closest sides of each triangle (the one pointing upwards and the other pointing downwards) on its side.
6. Inuit Ending (= 1 enters proximally into 2 loop, Navajo 1 and remove 2). The wick tender (taqquti) -or an image of it (taqqutinnguaq)- is now visible : this is the loop hanging on the right side.
7. 2 enters distally/from the far side into the 'X' formed in the upper part of the figure (= pass 2 under the TV string running in the upper part of the figure, and over the loose string that crosses over the TV string in its middle). Pushing up this TV string, 2 enters distally into 1 loop, then picks up 1n (close to 1) and returns (away from the body) passing through 2 proximal loop. Remove 1. Extend and adjust so that two small loops are formed at the bottom on each side of the figure.
8. 1 enters from the center (and the near side) into each of these small loops, and picks up the far string (= the one on the far side) of the loop.
9. Inuit Ending (= 1 enters proximally into 2 loop, Navajo 1 and remove 2). Proximally transfer 1 loop to 2.
10. With 1, press down the lower TV string while removing 5 and extending. These are the flames (ikumat) of the oil lamp (qulliq), 'ikumarattiaq'.
"The lamp", Birket-Smith 1924: 24, fig. 293c (Egedesminde).
"The lamp", Birket-Smith 1929, fig. 105a (Qairnirmiut).
"Les flammes de la lampe à huile", Victor 1937, fig. 16.
"The burning lamp", Paterson 1949: 41, fig. 109 ('tagicit, the flame of the lamp' - Angmagssalik).
"Ikumayorjuk – la lampe à huile allumée", Mary-Rousselière 1969: 75-77, fig. 67 (Arviligjuarmiut).
See also:
"The clothes line - iniarat", Gordon 1906: 91 (Cape Prince of Wales). [cf. iñiaq/iñiraq: something hung up to dry & iññiaq-: to stretch it (animal hide) on a frame for drying, MacLean 2012: 176].
"A range of mountains (named uwit.cut)" (fig. 205), Jenness 1924: 154-156, CXXXVI [The kayaker] (Indian Point - Siberia/Yuit, Barrow and Inland/Inupiat). See Wirt et al. 2009: 225-226 - BISFA 16 - for a detailed illustration.
"The lamp", Birket-Smith 1929, fig. 105a (Qairnirmiut).
"Les flammes de la lampe à huile", Victor 1937, fig. 16.
"The burning lamp", Paterson 1949: 41, fig. 109 ('tagicit, the flame of the lamp' - Angmagssalik).
"Ikumayorjuk – la lampe à huile allumée", Mary-Rousselière 1969: 75-77, fig. 67 (Arviligjuarmiut).
See also:
"The clothes line - iniarat", Gordon 1906: 91 (Cape Prince of Wales). [cf. iñiaq/iñiraq: something hung up to dry & iññiaq-: to stretch it (animal hide) on a frame for drying, MacLean 2012: 176].
"A range of mountains (named uwit.cut)" (fig. 205), Jenness 1924: 154-156, CXXXVI [The kayaker] (Indian Point - Siberia/Yuit, Barrow and Inland/Inupiat). See Wirt et al. 2009: 225-226 - BISFA 16 - for a detailed illustration.
- 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)