Pinga (goddess)
Inuit goddess of the hunt and medicine
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In the Inuit religion, Pinga ("the one who is [up on] high"[1]) is a goddess of the hunt[2] and medicine.[3] She is heavily associated with the sky.
Caribou Inuit tradition
In Caribou Inuit communities, Pinga had some authority over caribou herds.[3][4] She would become angry if people killed more caribou than they could eat, so Caribou communities were careful not to over-hunt.[5] Pinga was also a psychopomp, receiving the souls of the newly deceased and preparing them for reincarnation.[6] Angakkuit (shamans) might have seen or communicated with Pinga, or sometimes she may have sent a spirit to speak with them.[7]
Some Caribou Inuit viewed Sila and Pinga as the same or similar, while other communities differentiated between the two.[5]
