Lighting the Qulliq

The qulliq is an Inuit lamp that provides light and warmth to the Earth. The lamp is made out of soapstone and is shaped in a half moon with a vessel to hold oil for burning. The oil is poured into the vessel, and a mix of Arctic cotton, suputi, and moss, ijju/maniq, is delicately placed along its groove. This wick then absorbs the oil below and it can then be lit. 

 

Once lit, the wick slowly burns, and is tended with a hook-shaped tool, the taqquti. It was originally made by a husband for his wife. This symbolized that she was the flame keeper of the home. On a deeper spiritual level, it also honours the fact that women are the life carriers. 

 

The lamp is traditionally used by Inuit women to take care of their families. It can be used for cooking, drying wet clothes, melting ice, boiling water, providing light to sew clothes for her family, and for creating warmth and energy within the home. The qulliq was the original energy source of heat and light for Inuit across the Inuit Nunangat since time immemorial.

 

Watch this short video of the lighting of the qulliq and explanation.