The First Tears — Based on an Inuit Folktale
Elizabeth Kibler

1Once, a very long time ago, a man named Amak awoke in the morning and was very hungry—he wanted some dinner. Before the sun rose over the mountains, he left his family and promised to bring food home to them. Amak, whose stomach growled, knew his family was famished—and so was he. As he trudged along, Amak realized he had been walking for a long time. He wanted to find food quickly and take it home to his family.

2Amak walked through the forest to find food. He looked into the trees to find birds and scoured bushes hoping to find a rabbit. He became frustrated when he found nothing. Amak knew he had to keep searching, though, because his family was counting on him.

3Hoping that he would have better luck there, Amak decided to walk down beside the ocean. The smell of the salty air made the man feel a little better. He had almost forgotten about his grumbling stomach. Suddenly, Amak espied a large group of seals lying beside the ocean. The man was gleeful at the sight of mammoth, brown seals—surely he could take one of these large animals home for dinner! Amak knew he would make his family proud.

4Standing far away from the seals, Amak pondered how to catch one of the seals and lug it home as a prize to his family. The man became giddy at the thought. Then, he crept toward the large creatures; however, as he inched forward, the animals dove into the depths of the water and wiggled away from his grasp.

5Amak became exasperated as he watched the seals swim away into the dark water. However, Amak’s spirits rose when he saw a lone seal sitting alone near the edge of the water. Sure that the seal did not see him, he advanced stealthily and stayed as quiet as possible. At the last moment, and with a burst of energy, Amak sprang toward the remaining seal; however, he was too late, as the animal jumped into the water to join the rest. He collapsed onto the ground in sorrow. As Amak got up, he felt a feeling he did not recognize. Water started running down the sides of Amak’s face. He touched the warm water and tasted it. It was as salty as the ocean flowing in front of him. Amak felt himself making strange noises and choking as the water flowed from his eyes.

6Amak's wife and son heard the strange noises and came to find him. When they finally caught sight of him, he still had water pouring from his eyes. His wife and child were very afraid because they did not understand. After Amak told the story of the seals and how they eluded his grasp, water began to flow from his wife’s and son’s eyes, too. Amak and his family wept because of the seals. That is how people learned to cry.

What words are clues that this story involves aspects of Inuit (Eskimo) culture?

A) The name of the main character in the story is indicative of Inuit culture.
B) The words in the passage that are underlined are indicative of Inuit culture.
C) The names the main character gives the animals are indicative of Inuit culture.
D) The titles the main character gives his family members are indicative of Inuit culture.