Whip (ipirautaq)

A whip (ipirautaq) was used to direct sled dogs, called qimmiit, when they failed to respond to spoken commands. A simple, threatening crack of the whip would guide, encourage, and discipline them.

The caribou-antler handle (ipu) was attached to the part of the whip called a kangiq — a long braided rope of walrus-skin. This fearsome tool required much dexterity from its user. The rope, called an iparaq, could vary in length from one whip maker to another. It had to be long enough, however, to reach the lead dogs at the front without the man being forced to get off the sled, called a qamutiik. A woman might also use a whip to chase dogs away and to keep them from getting too close to men cutting up a game animal.

Nowadays, whips are still used by Inuit who travel by dog team. They're generally made of bearded-seal skin with a wooden or caribou-antler handle.

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Picture gallery

Whip with a slightly curved white bone handle, to which are attached long leather straps. The straps are rolled up, and the section near the handle is braided.

Whip (ipirautaq)

Dimensions: Lengths handle : 29 cm, total : 600 cm

Video capsule

Listen to Natalino Piugattuk talk about this whip

Natalino Piugattuk: I will now speak about the rope used

by dog mushers. It's used by dog mushers.

This is the whip, not to be used on people,

it's used on dogs to train the disobedient ones.

They would be whipped. This is how it has been used.

Different terms go with the iparautaq [in inuktitut], the whip.

This whip is made of different parts:

up to this point [Natalino shows the first section of the whip, partly braided] is the kangiq [in inuktitut]. In the kangiq there is an ipu [in inuktitut], [Natalino shows the handle].

The kangiq has an ipu. It's used to whip dogs.

This rope [Natalino shows the rest of the whip, after the kangiq section] is the whip part and it thins down,

getting thinner, down to the end.

The thin part is called suluraq [in inuktitut]. The thin part is the suluraq

at the end. Up to this point it's called the suluraq. This part is the suluraq.

That is the way it is. It's used by mushers and when dogs

refuse to turn in either direction, this way or that way [Natalino points in both right and left directions].

If they start turning that way he would whip it there [Natalino shows the same right direction],

and if you want to go this way and the dogs aren't turning, you use the whip.

There is no need to get off the qamutiik [in inuktitut] while travelling.

This helps the musher. I have spoken about

the different terms. That should make it understandable. I might be talking too long.

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