In spite of her mother's warning about the Qallupilluit, Allusha goes fishing alone on the sea ice. At the edge of the ocean, not seeing any Qallupilluit, Allusha starts doubting her mother and calls the creatures by names and goes so far as to challenge them to catch her. When the Qallupilluit finally appear, they drag Allusha down beneath the sea. She escapes by promising to bring her brothers and sisters to the sea creatures. With the help of her mother, Allusha is able to keep her promise, but when the family comes to the cracks in the sea, the Quallupilluit are not there, for they are still dancing with Allusha's father and mother in the house.
After talking about imagery and painting pictures with our words, we brainstormed ideas for our sensory poems. We listed what we would hear, smell, touch, or see if we met a qallupilliut. Students then wrote their own sensory poems.
A Qallupilluit
Watercolour When
you hear snow blowing over the ice When
you smell something like dead whales in summer When
you touch a soft loon feather jacket And
when I finally see a small creature on the sea
ice Then
you know it's a quallupilluit!
