The National Museum of Ethnology (Minpaku) is a research center for ethnology and cultural anthropology.

Topical Exhibits: Inuit Art of the Far North

Religion

Modern Inuit believe in Christianity. But before they came into contact with Europeans, they believed in their own spirits and shamanism. The Inuit believed that there are spirits which exist in the world. There are good spirits and evil spirits. They considered that the most important thing was to keep good relations between human beings and the spirit world. Once the relation between them was broken, they believed that disease would affect people and that they would not be able to catch fish or animals for their living. When they became sick or frequently had a poor catch, they asked shamans to restore this relation. Excellent shamans were said to have a powerful spirit and the ability to transform themselves into bears.
 
DrummerDrummer
 
Winged SpiritWinged Spirit
 
ShamanShaman
 
TransformationTransformation