Project title: Franklin Expedition Oral History Research Researcher’s name: Parks Canada, Know History Inc. Project location: , and Ugjulik, Timeframe: June 2018 to December 2019

Project description

This project will document Inuit Oral Histories of the 1845 Franklin expedition, specifically of the shipwreck sites of the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror. It will involve a close collaboration with community members in Gjoa Haven, Ugjulik and Terror Bay Nunavut, as well as the Nattilik Heritage Centre in Gjoa Haven. The project will provide Inuit Elders with the opportunity to share, with the Canadian public, their knowledge not only about the expedition, but also the traditional uses of the natural setting of the wrecks and surrounding areas, which will demonstrate to the Canadian public that these shipwrecks are part of Inuit Homelands. It also provides Inuit youth and adults alike with the opportunity to build skills that will enable them to collect and present Oral Histories in their own communities.

Methodology

The project involves several Oral History interviews with Inuit knowledge holders to gather their expertise on the Franklin expedition, the lost ships, the shipwreck sites, and the land and water where the shipwrecks are located. Up to seven individuals from Gjoa Haven and neighbouring communities will be interviewed specifically about Franklin and the lost ships; and up to 20 in Ugjulik and Terror Bay about the history of those regions, including living, travel, hunting, trapping, fishing, and encounters with explorers. Participants will be interviewed in‐person (face‐to‐face) in the language of their choice by both Inuit and non‐Inuit interviewers.

A field trip to Bay area, involving Inuit youth and Elders as well as research team members, will take place as part of this project.

Data use and reporting

The interviews will be translated into Inuktitut, English and French. An interim report that analyzes and synthesizes the interview data collected will be presented to the community (in January 2019) in order to gather community input about the main messages to be shared with the public. On approval of the interim report, content will be developed as follows:

 Audio and video clips (and/or associated transcript text) and images of Inuit knowledge holders will be featured in a Franklin exhibit at the Nattilik Heritage Centre, and in social media posts and short online stories;

 Images, maps, text, audio and video clips will be featured on a web site that is targeted to a general public audience;

 Quotes from interview transcripts will be featured in a book manuscript of approximately 30,000 words, which will also include up to 100 images, about Inuit Oral History of the Franklin expedition and the shipwreck sites. The book will be aimed at a popular audience. In December 2019, the final exhibit and web site content, and manuscript text, will be presented to community members at a celebratory feast in Gjoa Haven.