Welcome to our page of "book notes" and study guide for Tikta'Liktak An Eskimo Legend. Below you will find a review, vocabulary, comprehension questions, discussion questions, comments and more to help you get the most out of this book. Please see the topic notes for further activities that go with this book such as map work, science, art and more. This book is used in Topic 7: The Inuit.

Here is my short review of the book:

Tikta'liktak: An Inuit-Eskimo Legend (by James A. Houston) This is a story about a young man who has to survive in the Arctic alone after being carried out to sea on a drifting ice floe. It pictures the Arctic as harsh but beautiful and introduces children to the landscape, animals and ways of life of an Eskimo. I thought it would be "boring" at first glance but found both myself and my son enjoying this tale of bravery, self reliance and survival.

(*Note: links for vocabulary go to Google images. We find that it really helps to SEE things that might be unfamiliar, in order to help make them stick. Surf at your own risk!)

Vocabulary:

kayak
trout
snow goose
harpoon
iceberg
sun dog
parka
caribou
loon(s) This is a coloring page you may want to give to your child to color while you are reading (if you use this book as a read-aloud).
raven
sandpiper
barren (island)
lemmings
fatigue
walrus
obsessed (thinking about something all of the time)
fury
obscuring (hiding from view)
eider ducks

p. 9 What do you think it means to be a "listener at the breathing places in the ice" ?
*Animals like seals have to come up for air to breathe. Hunters would wait at these breathing holes to spear the animals for food.

p.18 How did Tiktaliktak try to get a seal to come to him?

p.21 Do you think Tiktaliktak "cooked" the raven before he ate it? Why or why not?
*You may want to point out that the Arctic doesn't have much vegetation to burn because of the climate. The Inuit usually burned oil from animals for light, etc.
What would happen if the Inuit burned wood fueled fires in their igloos?

p.30 Who is the provider of all things good? (This question is in response to Tiktaliktak thinking a sea spirit had given him a gift of a seal).

How does whirling an arrow in some shavings of driftwood cause a fire?
*You may want to discuss and demonstrate friction.

p.33 The "great green and yellow lights soared up" is in reference to the aurora borealis.
Click here for a site that explains them in more detail. This site may be too advanced for younger students but it's good for mom or dad or for reading aloud and discussing together.

p. 39 Why would Tiktaliktak need to take fresh water along with him when he would be traveling over a great expanse of water?
*The sea is too salty to drink.

p.41 Explain that a tide is the pull of the moon on the water. That makes the water level in certain areas change (higher at full tide and lower at low tide). Check out this animation and read the information together.