Pinga (goddess)

In the Inuit religion, Pinga ("the one who is [up on] high"Template:Sfn) is a goddess of the huntTemplate:Sfn and medicine.Template:Sfn She is heavily associated with the sky.

Caribou Inuit tradition

In Caribou Inuit communities, Pinga had some authority over caribou herds.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn She would become angry if people killed more caribou than they could eat, so Caribou communities were careful not to over-hunt.Template:Sfn Pinga was also a psychopomp, receiving the souls of the newly deceased and preparing them for reincarnation.Template:Sfn Angakkuit (shamans) might have seen or communicated with Pinga, or sometimes she may have sent a spirit to speak with them.Template:Sfn

Some Caribou Inuit viewed Sila and Pinga as the same or similar, while other communities differentiated between the two.Template:Sfn

References

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