WELCOME TO PANGNIRTUNG. Meet Allashua, who lives in the town, and the Qallupilluit who live under the sea ice.

The live music includes an Inuit frame drum, an accordion, and some very high-tech effects. The well known Canadian book, by Robert Munsch & Michael Kusugak is a favourite with kids.

We visited Baffin Island in preparation for this show, and returned to present the finished play to school children and elders there. We were delighted with their response. This play opened at the National Arts Centre, and has toured across Canada.

 

Here's a short clip of Promise from a report on CTV:

Allashua, a little girl of about 11, lives with her family in a modern day Arctic town. She goes with her family on a fishing trip ...out on the land...

As soon as they arrive, her parents begin to unpack, but Allashua is so impatient to go fishing that they allow her to go ahead, as long as she goes fishing in the lake, and not in the sea. She promises them that she will not go near the dangerous cracks in the sea ice.

...But Allashua does not keep her promise. She goes to the sea and fishes in one of the cracks in the ice.

Her parents have told her about the mythical Qallupilluit, female monsters who grab children who go too near the sea ice without their parents.

She does not believe in them until suddenly the Qallupilluit appear, and drag her down beneath the ice. In desperation, Allashua promises that if the Qallupilluit let her go, she will come back and bring them all her brothers and sisters. The Qallupilluit agree and let her go.

When Allashua’s parents hear what has happened, they don’t scold. They insist that she must keep her promise, but the mother has a plan. She invites the greedy Qallupilluit to a goodbye party for her children.

While the Qallupilluit are busy at the party, Allashua takes her brothers and sister to the sea ice, but of course, the Qallupilluit are not there.

Allashua has kept her promise, and the children are safe.

Our study guide is available as a PDF here.

The Qikiqtani Inuit Association has a website about to Inuit myths here. The page on Qallupilluk is here. (Scroll down for English.)

You can hear Robert Munsch read A Promise is a Promise. Go to his website here and click on the "Listen" button.

Magical—London Free Press.Magical

A Promise is a Promise is good—we promise!—The Hill Times

Fabulous puppets. Performers were perfect! Music was hauntingly beautiful…Don’t change a thing. It was perfect! The experience had an impact on my class.—Patti Bragg, Palmerston P.S.

Excellent all around!! Thank you.—Pine Grove P.S., Toronto

Great rapport with students! A spell binding performance.—Sunny View P.S., Toronto