Maniilaq (Maniixauraq) — the Eskimo Prophet

Maniilaq is the name of a man that is held in very high regard by the older Iñupiat Eskimos of the Northwest Arctic. He was more commonly known as Maniixauraq, and to some of the elders in the area, he was an Eskimo prophet. They speak of him with reverence and admiration. Many believe him and in the fulfillment of his prophecies in this day and age.

Maniilaq (also spelled Maniixaq) is a figure of Iñupiat legend and history. He is said to have lived in the 19th Century before European colonialists arrived in his area of Northwest Alaska. He lived as a hunter and a healer in Northwest Alaska. Various stories about him include that he heard voices predicting that white people would come to Alaska, that he had prophetic visions of boats that were propelled by fire or that flew in the air, and that he heard voices from a higher power whom he described with an Iñupiat word meaning both "father" and "son." Some also say that Maniilaq rested every seventh day. Other prophecies attributed to Manillaq include the prophecy that the village of Ambler, Alaska would one day become a large metropolis, and that a whale would swim up river and appear at Ambler. It is said that Maniilaq practiced traditional healing, and also that he resisted the dominant cultural order of shamanism. He is an important figure in Northwest Alaska Christian communities.

Download booklet about Maniilaq as told by the Iñupiat Eskimo elders.

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