The Breathing Hole | Aglu

by Colleen Murphy, Siobhan Arnatsiaq-Murphy (Primary Contributor), Janet Tamalik Mcgrath (Translator)

In 1535, Hummiktuq, an Inuit widow, has a strange dream about the future. The next day, she discovers a bear cub floating on a piece of ice near a breathing hole. Despite the concerns of her community, she adopts him as her own and names him Angu'řuaq. In 1845, Angu'řuaq and his mate Panik wander into a chance meeting between Inuit hunters and explorers from the Franklin Expedition. By 2029, when surveyors and entrepreneurs examine the now-melting land for future opportunities, Angu'řuaq encounters the passengers and crew of a luxury cruise ship as it slinks through the oily waters of the Northwest Passage.

Humorous and dramatic, and published in both English and Nattilingmiutut, The Breathing Hole is a respectful and profound saga that traces the paths of colonialism and climate change, revealing the devastating scars left on the land and in history.

Genres: Plays, Indigenous

336 pages, Paperback

Published November 24, 2020

Reviews

[Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

This play is an amazing story about Angu'juaq who is a polar bear that lives for 500 years. The play centers around the idea that life comes from breathe and the breathing hole on the ice. This beautiful imagery reminds readers/viewers to respect the planet earth. Through amazing stage directions, imagery, and writing, this eco drama is a great reminder to save the artic. The play that jumps through time and talks about the powers of animals. The play starts out in the mid-1500s, telling a beautiful family story and how one protects two polars who helps the family. The plays then jump to 1845 when the British explore to find the polar bears and their interactions with the natives as well as how brutal exploring the Arctic is. The play finally ends in 2028&2034 telling a story of the destroyed artic and how they would simulate the artic for tourists. In each section, there is someone defending Angu'jauq. In the first section is a widow, Huumittuq, in the second section is Franklin, the Expedition Commander, and in the third section is Hayden, a cruise line passenger. This play uses a lot of Inuktitut terms and I found it helpful to write down the English translations as I confronted them in the text as they would be used again without a definition in parentheses next to them. This is a perfect piece of historical drama that has a mission behind it to bring art to the Nunavut territory in Canda. This is a beautiful story celebrating the Netsilik region as well as a call to action to protect the Arctic.

[caro · Rating 3 out of 5]

i want to see the polar bear puppets

[Aden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Complex, nuanced play about Arctic Inuk people and polar bears. This would be beautiful to watch staged, the animals and landscapes would be very meaningful to witness. I don't know how much this will stick with me, but I appreciate the reading experience. I just wish I could've seen it.

[Sam - Spines in a Line · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one actually moves quite fast considering it covers almost 500 years in under 400 pages but it reads in some way like a meditation. And it’s certainly inspiring readers to reflect on their lives and our history.

Based on an Inuit story, the play starts in 1535 when a woman finds an orphaned polar bear cub and decides to adopt it as her own. This cub, named Angu’řuaq, acts as our eyes throughout the years, following the history of the Northwest Passage as he hunts alongside his adoptive family, witnesses the downfall of the Franklin expedition in the 1800s, and comes across entrepreneurs in 2029 who are hoping to create a cruise route through the rapidly melting ice.

A unique look at climate change and colonization, this play is also special because of the intense consultations the playwright and Inuit consultants and actors engaged in to ensure the names and cultural content were appropriate. Plus, the book includes a translation into Nattilingmiutut, a dialect of Inuktitut, by Janet Tamalik Mcgrath, making it the longest manuscript that exists in the dialect. So an incredible language revitalization project as well!

I’ve seen some photos of the stage design and it looks incredible, especially the polar bear puppet! I’d love to see it live some day. Big thanks to Playwrights Canada Press for a copy to review!