"Irchinaki" - this is the word the Inuit call "little people" who live throughout the Arctic territory of Canada and the USA, in caves, mountains or underground. From time to time, the Eskimos report to the police about the appearance of these men with sharp ears, black eyes and dark skin. These strong, fast and highly intelligent creatures, extremely adept at hunting with bow and arrow, wear clothing made of animal skins and live their own isolated lives.
The Irchinaks are considered a kind people. They can take lost hunters or children home, or even help pull the car out of the impassable mud, but there are others, more vicious and even dangerous, who are suspected of disappearing children and adults.
One such incident occurred in 2008, when a hunter, three hours from Marshall, in southwestern Alaska, found a young boy in a swamp. The hunter asked him where his parents were and how he got here, but the boy was so scared and embarrassed that he only said: "I don't know."
The hunter found all this very strange, since there were no tracks in the snow in the place where the foundling stood. The hunter took the boy to his home and after questioning it turned out that he lived with the Irchinaks, where he met a woman who had been abducted by them more than forty years ago and wanted to help the boy. Apparently, he "lagged" behind the tribe of small people just a few minutes before the appearance of the hunter.
Another event took place in the town of Palmer in southern Alaska in 2005. A local resident said that she saw a beautiful child walking through the woods near her house, after which her daughter disappeared. As a result of large-scale searches, the girl was never found.
It is known that the Irchinaks live in the Pilcher Mountains and on Nelson Island, where they have repeatedly found small sleds and tools, the size of small toys.
Long before the arrival of the whaling company, the Irchinaki lived side by side with the Inuit tribes at Point Hope. Until one day a tiny boy from a family of little men came close to the husky of his neighbors, people, who crushed and crushed the boy, after which, according to eyewitnesses, the boy's father killed the dog with his bare hands. Shortly after this incident, the Irchinaks left the Inuit village and settled in the caves.
They say that if you catch one of these little people, they bring good luck. The smallest irchinaks, winged creatures with pointed heads similar to fairies, are called shinsigatas. It is believed that they appear only at night, and their speech is similar to the chirping of birds, and when people approach, they can even hide in a crack in the wall of a house.
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There is a story that tells about a man who, together with his son, decided to catch such a creature with a lamp. He lit it as soon as he saw the little man. It turned out that in the light, tiny creatures lose almost all their strength. The man began to tease the Shinsigata by holding him close to the fire, but the son asked his father not to do so. Although the man later let the poor man go, his hunting luck turned away from him forever, but his son became the best hunter in the village.
Another zealous hunter waited in ambush for three days before catching the shinsigata. The creature pulled out with all its might and begged to let him go, but the man was not going to do this. Then the tiny man offered the hunter the only thing he had, a belt, and advised the man never to take it off. Hunter Freed did not take off his belt until the end of his days and became the greatest hunter.
The strangest of the Irchinaks are the igassuyaki, who are the height of an ordinary average person, who wear clothes with sleeves reaching the ground. They steal supplies from local residents, and especially like to steal fish from nets. Unlike the charming shinsigatas who bestow good luck, meeting igassuyaki only brings bad luck.
Half-meter-long Inukins live in Alaska in the Point Hope area. These little people are extremely helpful. They help those who are lost in the forest or in the tundra, and can give gifts for no reason. The gifts they present must be accepted, otherwise the Inuchins will be greatly offended. If they give a basket, then the person will definitely find a lot of berries to fill it. If it is a knife, then the hunt will be successful. However, they also commit theft, especially at night.
Palrayaks, who live in mountainous areas and build underground tunnels, are best suited for height, skin color and pointed ears under the general description of the Irchinaks. If they see a lonely person in the mountains, they can throw stones on him. One of the hunters on the way home heard a strange noise. He headed in that direction and found a crack at the foot of the mountain. Looking into it, he saw two dancing men in the cave. It seemed to him that he spent very little time at the hole. But when he returned to his sleigh, he saw how faded his clothes were, and the prey left in the sleigh was almost rotten. Upon returning home, he was told that a whole year had passed.
Experienced hunters sometimes report that the animals they shoot disappear without a trace. They know that these are the tricks of the Irchinaks. Even if it turns out to be a large beast, which only two large men can lift, the Irchinak can easily run away with him. Some of them may even look like animals in order to trick people.
To many, these stories may seem like fairy tales. However, they are all real facts from Inuit life that have been passed down from generation to generation to know how to get along with these little people, some of whom are said to even eat humans.
Fossil evidence of the existence of "little people" was found in 2003 on the island of Flores in Indonesia. The Floresian man known as the "hobbit" turned out to be about the same height as the Irchinaki.
Voronina Svetlana
