I’noGo Tied Symbol Analysis

The i’noGo tied symbolizes Miyax’s relationship to Inuit culture. The i’noGo tied is a traditional Inuit amulet made from blubber and wrapped in sealskin that brings its wearer luck and protection. Miyax receives her i’noGo tied from the bent woman, an old priestess she meets at the Inuit seal camp where she and Kapugen live after Miyax’s mother dies. Miyax’s time at the camp immerses her in Inuit traditions, and the i’noGo tied thus symbolizes a time in Miyax’s life when she could take pride in her cultural identity. The amulet’s significance deepens after Miyax learns that Kapugen is lost at sea and presumed to be dead. With neither the seal camp community nor Kapugen to sustain her cultural ties, Miyax relies on the i’noGo tied to remember who she is and all that she has lost. 

But Miyax isn’t always proud of her Inuit identity. Moving to Mekoryuk to attend school forces her to assimilate to gussak (white) culture, which prompts her to question her indigenous identity. In school, she has to learn English and assume an English name. Being surrounded by Inuit children who’ve spent their entire lives in town reveals to Miyax her complete ignorance about gussak culture and makes her feel like an outsider. Suddenly, she wonders whether the experiences at the seal camp she’d once considered to be “dear and wonderful” are in fact “strange” and unacceptable. As a result, the i’noGo tied becomes a symbol of shame and alienation rather than pride and cultural connection. In one instance, Miyax mistakes her schoolmate Judith’s charm bracelet for an i’noGo tied. Judith and another girl, Grace, giggle at Miyax as Judith corrects her error. Miyax returns home that night and throws her i’noGo tied in the trash, and this action symbolizes her desire to erase the part of herself that makes her feel like an outsider.