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Inuit interpretations of sleep paralysis
Samuel Law1, Laurence J Kirmayer
1University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. laws@smh.toronto.on.ca
Transcultural Psychiatry
|May 11, 2005
Summary
Inuit elders and youth recognize sleep paralysis as uqumangirniq or aqtuqsinniq. Traditional beliefs link it to shamanism and spirit attacks, while contemporary views integrate medical and mystical perspectives.
Area of Science:
- Anthropology
- Psychology
- Cultural Studies
Background:
- Sleep paralysis is a phenomenon with diverse cultural interpretations.
- Inuit communities have unique traditional understandings of this experience.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate traditional and contemporary Inuit concepts of sleep paralysis.
- To explore how cultural changes influence interpretations of sleep paralysis.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative research methodology.
- Interviews conducted with Inuit elders and young people in Iqaluit, Baffin Island.
Main Results:
- Sleep paralysis is widely recognized and termed uqumangirniq or aqtuqsinniq.
- Traditional interpretations involve shamanistic cosmology, soul vulnerability, and spirit attacks.
- Contemporary youth integrate personal, medical, mystical, shamanistic, and Christian frameworks.
Conclusions:
- Inuit interpretations of sleep paralysis reflect a dynamic interplay between traditional beliefs and modern influences.
- Understanding these diverse perspectives offers insight into cultural adaptation and the human experience of altered states of consciousness.