2116) "Nuliajuk", Canada: First Coin in the "New Generations Coin Series" features a story from the "Inuit Nunangat" Region: Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) has issued a $20 (Twenty Dollars - CAN) Silver Proof Coin celebrating the first stories of the Canadian Peoples: Year of Coin issue: 2021:
The "New Generations Coin Series" celebrates the art of gifting knowledge through the stories of the First Peoples of Canada. Issued annually, each coin will travel to a different region of Canada to highlight a legend that has been told and retold since time immemorial.
The first legend comes from the four regions of Canada that are collectively known as "Inuit Nunangat", which is indicated on the coin’s reverse .
It is the tale of a beautiful Inuk who became the Sea Goddess and mother of all marine mammals after she was tossed into the ocean.
The Tale:
Nuliajuk was a beautiful girl who had refused many offers of marriage. One day, a young hunter arrived at her father’s camp dressed in warm furs.
He spoke in a soft voice and promised to provide Nuliajuk with a good home and animals for food and clothing. He kept his face hidden under his hood but Nuliajuk was sufficiently impressed with him, and she agreed to marry him.
When she arrived at her new home on a remote island, Nuliajuk discovered that her husband was not a man but a bird.
Cold and hungry, she cried out for her father to come save her. But as she and her father paddled away, they were caught in a strong wind created by the bird’s furious wingbeats.
Fearing for his life, Nuliajuk’s father threw her over the side of the umiak. She tried to save herself by holding on, but her father cut off her fingers and she fell into the water.
As she sank to the bottom of the ocean, her fingers and hands took the form of different marine mammals and she became the Sea Goddess.
In time, hunters came to depend on her goodwill: when humans transgress the laws of nature, the Sea Goddess keeps her children (the sea animals) away, and the Angakkuq (Shaman) must appease her by combing her hair.
The Coin:
The specifications of the Silver Coin are:
Country of issue: Canada; Year: 2021; Denomination/Face Value: $20 (Twenty Dollars - CAN); Metal Composition: .9999 Fineness Silver (Ag); Weight: 1.0 Oz or 31.1 grams; Diameter/Size: 38.0 mm; Coin Quality: Proof; Mint: Royal Canadian Mint (RCM); Mintage: 5,000 pieces; Presentation Box/Case: Yes; Certificate of Authenticity (COA): Yes; Designer: (Reverse) Nunatsiavut Artist Jason Sikoak.
- Each $20 coin is individually encapsulated and presented in a Royal Canadian Mint-branded custom case and is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (COA) and black outer protective box.
Canada's Unexplained Phenomena Coin Series Posts on this blog:
31) North-west Territories, Canada: 150th Anniversary (1870-2020): A $30 (Thirty Canadian Dollars) Silver Proof Coin minted by the Royal Canadian Mint, celebrates the milestone: Year of Coin issue: 2020
32) An "Inuk" and a Quilliq", Canada: New 1/20 Ounce $10 Coins minted in Arctic Gold by the Royal Canadian Mint symbolise cultural diversity in Canada and features deeply symbolic elements that are important expressions of Inuit identity: Year of Coin issue: 2020
Santosh Khanna has commented:
ReplyDelete"Very well said!! Thanks for sharing this."
Thank you so much, Khanna sahab.
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