Tuniit



Tuniit, Tornit, Tuniq or Sivullirmiut is legendary race from Inuit mythology. According to legend, they were first inhabitants in their land and described as tall people who were taller and stronger than the Inuit, but easily scared off and extremely shy. Stories of the Alaska Bushmen, or tornits, have been told since the first humans crossed the Bering Land Bridge. In the beginning, the story goes, the Inuit and the tornits lived peacefully in villages near each other and shared common hunting grounds. The Inuit people often built and used kayaks for hunting. While the tornits were unable to master the building of kayaks, they were very aware of the advantages of having and using one. One story goes that a young tornit borrowed a young Inuit's kayak without permission and damaged the bottom of it. The young Inuit became very angry and stabbed the tornit in the nape of the neck while he was sleeping, killing him. The rest of the tornits feared that they too, would be killed by the Inuit and fled the country, rarely to be seen again.