DOCSLIB.ORG

Eskimo Childhood and Interpersonal Relationships. Nuniwak

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Eskimo Childhood and Interpersonal Relationships. Nuniwak REVIEWS 145 fitted with a wooden leg aboard Captain cently migrated from the Barren Lands John Ross’s Victory in 1830. to the coast and who displaced the old In his laconic conclusions Vanstone Thule population as a result. The mi- shows an alert sense of problem. Com- gration concept has been badly over- paring the 53 Netsilik artifact types of worked in traditional Eskimology as a the Learmonthcollection with Thule review of the older and current litera- culture forms, he finds 36 to have c10.w ture reveals. Although a sturdy, eager relationship with Thule prototypes and dog, the migration idea could not pull three others to be derived from them. the full sled load of Eskimo prehistory; This leads tothe highly significant con- those other conceptual brutes,diffusion, clusion that “. it does not seem to be cultural continuity, regional variation, an overstatement to say that Netsilik etc., have only recently begun to haul Eskimo implement culture is a logical their fair share. Therefore Vanstone’s development from the earlier ancestral study bears general significancein con- period.”, that is, from Thule culture.Al- tributing to and reflecting this change though this disagrees with Mathiassen’s in the natureof interpretations of arctic original view on the matter, VanStone archaeology. showsa commendable appreciation of It is remarkable that these new per- Mathiassen’s reasoning and agrees with tinentdata and their interpretations, him that Thule culture stands as a dis- the stimulating hypothesis they engen- tinct entity. der, and the general implications of a Perhaps VanStone has understated shifting use of concepts in Eskimo pre- the case for Thule-Netsilik continuity. history require only 63 pages. For all First, more than three of his 17 “dis- that and a pleasing formof presentation tinctively Netsilik” types appear to my arctic archaeology is happily indebted eye as developments from Thule pro- to Mr. Learmonth, Dr. Vanstone, and totypesand second, in restrictinghis the Royal Ontario Museum. comparison to artifact types from the WILLIAME. TAYLOR,JR.” Learmonth collection VanStonehas not outlinedsimilarities between the two The authors have presented us with in languages, economy, housing forms, a painstaking morphologicaland metri- and other aspects of culture. The second cal analysis of 13 skulls and 3 partial paper in the publication treats of the post-cranialskeletons. Six of these racialsimilarities. Reasons for the skulls belong to the Thule culture that, Thule-Netsilik shift are understandably whenadded to those of Naujan (19), notdiscussed; little additionalinfor- ArcticBay (l), andBattle Rock (2), mation or thoughthave been offered bring the Thule census up to 28, which on the Thule-modern Central Eskimo isnot very large compared with the transitionin the past 30 years.As sample sizes of Ipiutak and Birnirk. Vanstone’s closing sentences note, this The conclusionsare thatall the skele- newer view of Thule-Netsilik continu- tonsshow a high degree of homoge- ity demands a reanalysis of the larger neity, exhibitingsuch typical Eskimo problem of Thule-modern Central Es- cranio-facial features aslong, high cra- kimo relationship for it strongly hints nia,flat faces, prominent zygomatic that the Canadian Central Eskimos are arches, and pinched nasal bones. the direct cultural and biological des- L.OSCHINSKY” cendants of the Thulepeople. A few rash students,including the reviewer, ESKIMO CHILDHOOD AND INTER- hold that as a belief, lacking the data PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS. Nuni- and study to call it more. wakBiographies and Genealogies. By Turning the coin, this study also chal- MARGARET LANTIS. The AmericanEth- lenges the Eschato-Eskimo hypothesis nologicalSociety. Seattle: University in which the modern Central Eskimos, including the Netsilik, are construed as *Human History Branch being descended from people who re- National Museum of Canada 146 REVIEWS of WashingtonPress. 1960. x 8% valuable in establishing the context of inches, xiv + 215 pages, 1 map, 7 figures. the recording session and documenting $4.75. the reactions of all participants.They The eighteen life histories that form do not, except occasionally, attempt to the basis of this interesting book were elucidate ethnographic references. The collected by Dr. Margaret Lantis dur- names of all informants andinterpreters ingtwo field trips to NunivakIsland recur againand again in the various in southwesternAlaska in 1946 and lifehistories, which emphasizes the 1956. The author indicates thather complexweb of socialrelations on interest in obtainingpersonal docu- Nunivak. ments stemmed from a desire to provide A chapter entitled “Ten YearsLater” materialsfor the study of culture in contains data collected during the win- operation,particularly with regard to ter of 1955-6 that summarize the lives socialorganization. Extensive ethno- of the author’sinformants up to that graphic studies by Dr. Lantis on Nuni- time. Here an attempt is made to fol- vak in 1939-40 provideddetaileda low through on a numberof personality background against which to interpret characteristics indicated in the original personalitydata and the author also life histories. In the concluding chapter felt that some of the data collected at Dr.Lantis attempts to summarize the that timecould be more adequately dataon personality that emergefrom tested. However, at some pointshe must the personal documents and to derive have decided that a detailed compara- some generalizations about the nature tive treatment of the ethnographic and of NunivakEskimo personality and personality data should be reserved for culture. In this connection, one point in anotherpublication. In this book the particular strikes this reviewer as being life history materialis presented simply of considerable interest. The author to “show the personal aspects of those states that “theold culture appears less customs that anthropologistsusually heroic when one sees it in actual cases describe so impersonally, e.g., marriage, rather than in generalization” (p. 170). adoption, the making of a hunter, and This statement emphasizesthe real val- the child’sinstruction in religionand ue of personal documents for research. social relationships” (p.vi). By present- It is true onlybecause cultural gen- ing the materialin this manner the eralizationsbecome meaningful, and author hopes that the reader will “see therefore prosaic, when the individual not ‘the NunivakEskimos’, but indi- isseen moving within the framework viduals”(p. vi). of his culture and fulfilling its require- In the introductory chapter the au- ments tothe best of hisability. To thor briefly and concisely sketches the counter this loss of the heroic quality, circumstancesunder which the bio- the author remindsus that through graphicalmaterial was collected, em- personal documents we see more clearly phasizing the relations between herself the manner in which individualism is and her informants and interpreters. maintained in spite of the necessity of Thebulk of the bookconsists of the conforming to the demands of the com- life stories of twelve men and six wom- munity and of accepting the vicissitudes en recorded in 1946. Generallyeach of fate. story is preceded by a brief introduction At the end of the book are two ap- that sets the stage for the account by pendixes, which contain the results of outlining the familybackground and Rorschach tests anddetailed geneal- indicating a few personality character- ogies. The latter are useful not only to istics of the informant.Most of the show the variation in family structure stories have numbered paragraphs and on the island, but to help make clear the notes at the end are keyed to these the references to various individuals in numbers.Occasionally thereare also the life histories. additional comments bythe author. The The reader who does not have some notesand comments are particularly background knowledge of Eskimo cul- REVIEWS 147 ture is going to experience difficulty in personality in anon-Western society, using this book. However, there is an Dr. Lantis has been very successful in ample literature onwestern Alaskan helping us to see the Nunivak Eskimos I Eskimo culture and the reader who as individuals. This reviewer considers 1 takes the troubleto prepare himself her bookto be amajor contribution will find that this important contribu- toward our knowledge of Alaskan Es- tionbuilds on the author'sextensive kimo personality. Having once spent a I earlier field work in this region. In ad- summer on Nunivak Island, he found dition to providing important and val- the book all the more enjoyable. uable raw materialfor the study of JAMESW. VANSTONE Obituary Carl R. Eklund (1909-1962) Dr. Carl Robert Eklund, posthumous Fellow of the Arctic Institute of North I America,prominent in arctic and antarcticresearch, Chief of the Polar and Arctic Branch of the US. Army Research Office, died on November 3, 1962 at the age of 53. His gregarious friendly nature, good humour and knack of story-telling made hima cherished friend of all whoknew him. For 23 yearshe was a leading Americanspecialist in ornithologyand geographic research in both the north and south polar regions. His U.S. Government service in the Department of the Interior and the Department of the Army was approaching 29 years. Carl was born in Tomahawk, Wisconsin onJanuary 27, 1909. After completing hissecondary schooling at TomahawkHigh School in 1927, he attended the University of Wisconsin for a year before transferring to Carlton College where he received his
Load more

Recommended publications
  • From Alaska to Greenland: a Comparison of the Arctic Small Tool
    microblades, burins and burin spalls, and projectile points and scrapers that resemble those From Alaska to Greenland: A recovered from settlements around Lake Baikal Comparison of the Arctic Small Tool and elsewhere in eastern Siberia (McGhee 1996; Nash 1969). Charcoal found in Feature 17 at the and Thule Traditions Kuzitrin Lake Denbigh site in Alaska has produced radiocarbon dates ranging from 5500 to 4000 B.P.(Harritt 1998:63-69). Harritt (1998) states that the earliest known Denbigh material could possibly signify the appearance of the In this paper, I will discuss the Denbigh culture from Siberia in western Alaska. distinguishing cultural characteristics of the Within this west to east migration Arctic Small Tool tradition (ASTt) and Thule model, two major ASTt variants have been tradition, and hypothesize about the implications identified in the High Arctic: Independence I and that these characteristics have on the Pre-Dorset. Charcoal from Independence I sites understanding of the ASTt and Thule ways of have provided a radiocarbon date range from life. The ASTt and Thule migrations occurred about 4000 to 3700 B.P. These sites are located approximately 3000 years apart from each other. in Greenland, and on the High Arctic of Canada They represent in the archaeological record two at Devon, Cornwallis, and Ellesmere Islands. rapid, widespread migrations across the Arctic Independence I sites also likely occur in the Low from the western coasts of Alaska to those of Arctic, however they are hard to recognize due to eastern Greenland. The material culture left the small size of camps and the amount of tundra behind by these peoples clearly indicates two vegetation that may be covering them (McGhee very different lifestyles and adaptations to the 1978:30).
    [Show full text]
  • The Sea Ice Is Our Highway
    The Sea Ice is Our Highway An Inuit Perspective on Transportation in the Arctic A Contribution to the Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment March 2008 Inuit Circumpolar Council - Canada Acknowledgements: The Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) Canada would like to thank the Canadian Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (DIAND) for its financial support in the making of this report. ICC Canada wishes also to thank the Inuit hunters who agreed to be interviewed regarding their use of sea ice and other related activities and experiences. ICC Canada also expresses its appreciation to Chester Reimer Consulting Inc. (CRCI) for its assistance in helping prepare this report. Photo Credit, p.1: H. Finkler. Copyright © 2008 Inuit Circumpolar Council – Canada Executive Summary Context: This report from the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) Canada contributes to the Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment (AMSA) being conducted by the Arctic Council. It provides the AMSA project with an Inuit perspective on the human dimension of shipping. As a Permanent Participant at the Arctic Council, ICC speaks on behalf of all 155,000 Inuit living in Greenland, Canada, Alaska and Russia. Sources: The report investigates Inuit use of sea ice. It draws upon three sources: Thirty-year old land use and occupancy studies upon which the modern Inuit land claims agreements in Canada were based; Recent interviews with Inuit hunters in Canada; and Additional studies from Alaska and Greenland. Parts of this report are written in the first person with Inuit telling their story. Main Point: This report demonstrates unequivocally that life in the Arctic is dependent on movement, and that sea ice is integral to this movement.
    [Show full text]
  • Self-Determination and the Inuit
    Rgzorgve in gradiva Ljubljgna 2000 $I 36/37 273 KLEMEN JELINCIC SELF-DETERMINATION AND THE INUIT INTRODUCTION Since the World War II the principle of self-determination of peoples has gained much in its imp o rt ~lI1ce due to the inclusion in the Charter of the Uni ted Nations and has later on played a determining role in the processes thro ugh which most of the European colonies gained their political independence. Its application, though, was somehow limited by the principle of inviolability of th e territorial integrity of sovereign states and therefore did not include several groups, like the national minorities, e.g. Hungarians in Romania. It certainly did not include the numerous ethnic groups that have been populating the are;)s ter­ ritorially connected to the metropolitan state long before the processes of European colo nizatio n have begun o r befo re the expansio n of the modern state, as it followed the retreat of ccloni;)l rule and that still pursue through several prac­ tices the traditional subsistence activities, upon which their culture and identity is/was based. Many of these groups with very diverse forms of social organiza­ ti o n, have been, despite its problema tics, described in the terms of tribal societies. These groups are collectively known under many name ~ slIch as Native, Aboriginal, Indigenous, First, Tribal o r Original peoples, but also as the Fourth World. Many times the terms are interchangeable and are used as self-designation by several of these peoples (Native in Alaska, Aboriginal in Canada, Tribal in India) or as names of NGO's representing their interests (Committee for Original People's Entitlement in Canada, The Indigenous Peoples Union in the USA), but th e literature as well is prone to use more than one of these terms.
    [Show full text]
  • An Archaeological View of the Thule / Inuit Occupation of Labrador
    AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL VIEW OF THE THULE / INUIT OCCUPATION OF LABRADOR Lisa K. Rankin Memorial University May 2009 AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL VIEW OF THE THULE/INUIT OCCUPATION OF LABRADOR Lisa K. Rankin Memorial University May 2009 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................1 II. BACKGROUND .........................................................................................................................3 1. The Thule of the Canadian Arctic ......................................................................................3 2. A History of Thule/Inuit Archaeology in Labrador............................................................6 III. UPDATING LABRADOR THULE/INUIT RESEARCH ...................................................15 1. The Date and Origin of the Thule Movement into Labrador ...........................................17 2. The Chronology and Nature of the Southward Expansion...............................................20 3. Dorset-Thule Contact .......................................................................................................28 4. The Adoption of Communal Houses................................................................................31 5. The Internal Dynamics of Change in Inuit Society..........................................................34 IV. CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................37 V. BIBLIOGRAPHY......................................................................................................................39
    [Show full text]
  • Nunavut Archaeology and Artifacts for Northern Students Acknowledgments
    A Guide to Nunavut Archaeology and Artifacts for Northern Students Acknowledgments Writing by: Brendan Griebel Design by: Brendan Griebel Project management by: Torsten Diesel, Inuit Heritage Trust The Inuit Heritage Trust would like to extend its thanks to the following individuals and organizations for their contributions to the Nunavut Archaeology and Artifacts booklet series: • Curriculum and School Services, Nunavut Department of Education • Government of Nunavut Department of Culture and Heritage • Tourism and Cultural Industries, Nunavut Department of Economic Development and Transportation. • Nunavut Tourism • Parks Canada, Nunavut Field Unit • Krista Zawadski • Luke Suluk • Kevin Kelly • Nick Amautinuar • Joanasie Qappiq • David Aglukkaq • William Beveridge • Ralph Kownak • Sharon Thomson • Ken Beardsale • Sue Ball • Sylvie LeBlanc • Max Friesen © 2014 Inuit Heritage Trust A Guide to Nunavut Archaeology and Artifacts for Northern Students Explaining this Guidebook 2-5 Inuit in the Canadian Arctic: An Overview 6-9 Archaeology: The Basics 10-13 Different Paths to the Past 14-17 The Role of History in Modern Day Nunavut 18-21 A History of Archaeology in Nunavut 22-25 Archaeology in Nunavut Today 26-29 Community-Based Archaeology in Nunavut 30-33 The Past as a Profession 34-37 A Year in the Life of a Research Archaeology Project 38-41 Best Practices in Nunavut Heritage: Artifacts 42-47 Photographing Archaeological Artifacts and Sites 48-49 Best Practices in Nunavut Heritage: Sites 50-53 Classroom Archaeology 54-57 Notes and Comments 58-59 References and Resources 60-61 Explaining this Guidebook The past as ever-present While these fragments of history may have originated deep in There are many stories that the past, they are handed down describe the history of Inuit people through generations who continue in the Canadian Arctic.
    [Show full text]
  • Nunavut Archaeology and Artifacts for Northern Heritage Workers Acknowledgments
    A Guide to Nunavut Archaeology and Artifacts for Northern Heritage Workers Acknowledgments Writing by: Brendan Griebel Design by: Brendan Griebel Project management by: Torsten Diesel, Inuit Heritage Trust The Inuit Heritage Trust would like to extend its thanks to the following individuals and organizations for their contributions to the Nunavut Archaeology and Artifacts booklet series: • Curriculum and School Services, Nunavut Department of Education • Government of Nunavut Department of Culture and Heritage • Tourism and Cultural Industries, Nunavut Department of Economic Development and Transportation. • Nunavut Tourism • Parks Canada, Nunavut Field Unit • Krista Zawadski • Luke Suluk • Kevin Kelly • Nick Amautinuar • Joanasie Qappiq • David Aglukkaq • William Beveridge • Ralph Kownak • Sharon Thomson • Ken Beardsale • Sue Ball • Sylvie LeBlanc • Max Friesen © 2014 Inuit Heritage Trust A Guide to Nunavut Archaeology and Artifacts for Northern Heritage Workers Explaining this Guidebook 2-5 Inuit in the Canadian Arctic: An Overview 6-9 Archaeology: Uncovering the Past 10-13 Archaeological Artifacts and Nunavummiut 14-18 Archaeological Sites and Nunavummiut 19-23 Heritage Centres in Nunavut 24-27 Artifacts and Heritage Centres 28-33 Sample Heritage Centre Loan Agreement Form 34 Sample Heritage Centre Deed of Gift Form 35 Creating the Right Environment 36-39 Caring for Collections: Archaeological Artifacts 40-53 Archives and Archive Materials 54-60 Sample Archive Deed of Gift Form 61 Sample Archive Loan Agreement Form 62 Creating Exhibits from Artifact 63-71 Notes and Comments 72-73 References and Resources 74-75 Explaining this Guidebook Why was this booklet artifacts should be respected written? and preserved. In Nunavut, guidelines and Nunavut is a territory deep with regulations have been put in tradition and history.
    [Show full text]
  • Did Bering Strait People Initiate the Thule Migration?
    Alaska Journal of Anthropology Volume 4, Numbers 1-2 Did Bering Strait People Initiate the Thule Migration? Hans Christian Gulløv National Museum of Denmark ([email protected]) Robert McGhee Canadian Museum of Civilization ([email protected]) Abstract: Th e Ruin Island phase of northwestern Greenland and adjacent Ellesmere Island is associated with artifact assemblages that resemble those of western Alaskan Punuk, rather than Canadian Th ule culture or the North Alaskan Th ule tradition, the supposed source for the Inuit expansion eastward across North America. Ruin Island assemblages also contain numerous artifacts obtained through contact with the medieval Norse. Th e re-evaluation of radiocarbon series associated with Eastern Arctic Th ule culture suggests temporal priority for the Ruin Island phase, with a probably thirteenth century assignment. Th e role of iron is assessed as a motive for instigating the initial movement of Inuit from Alaska to the Eastern Arctic, and it is concluded that this was possibly a commercially-motivated enterprise undertaken by peoples whose ancestors had long engaged in the metal trade across Bering Strait Keywords: Greenland archaeology, Punuk culture, Inuit origins When Erik Holtved (1944, 1954) excavated early Inuit Th e temporal placement of the Ruin Island complex winter houses at Ruin Island and other locations in the Th ule was established with greater certainty by radiocarbon dates District of far northwestern Greenland, he recovered arti- obtained from sites on eastern Ellesmere Island, excavated fact assemblages that were signifi cantly diff erent from those during the 1970s and 1980s by Karen McCullough and Pe- excavated earlier by Mathiassen (1927) from Th ule culture ter Schledermann.
    [Show full text]
  • Summary of Inuit Petition to Inter-American
    PETITION TO THE INTER AMERICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS SEEKING RELIEF FROM VIOLATIONS RESULTING FROM GLOBAL WARMING CAUSED BY ACTS AND OMISSIONS OF THE UNITED STATES I. SUMMARY OF THE PETITION In this petition, Sheila Watt-Cloutier, an Inuk woman and Chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, requests the assistance of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in obtaining relief from human rights violations resulting from the impacts of global warming and climate change caused by acts and omissions of the United States. Ms. Watt-Cloutier submits this petition on behalf of herself, 62 other named individuals, and all Inuit of the arctic regions of the United States of America and Canada who have been affected by the impacts of climate change described in this petition. Global warming refers to an average increase in the Earth’s temperature, causing changes in climate that lead to a wide range of adverse impacts on plants, wildlife, and humans. There is broad scientific consensus that global warming is caused by the increase in concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere as a result of human activity. The United States is, by any measure, the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, and thus bears the greatest responsibility among nations for causing global warming. The Inuit, meaning “the people” in their native Inuktitut, are a linguistic and cultural group descended from the Thule people whose traditional range spans four countries – Chukotka in the Federation of Russia, northern and western Alaska in the United States, northern Canada, and Greenland. While there are local characteristics and differences within the broad ethnic category of “Inuit,” all Inuit share a common culture characterized by dependence on subsistence harvesting in both the terrestrial and marine environments, sharing of food, travel on snow and ice, a common base of traditional knowledge, and adaptation to similar Arctic conditions.
    [Show full text]
  • The Ethics of Ice Sheet Research: the Relationships Between Ice Sheet Scientists And
    The Ethics of Ice Sheet Research: The Relationships Between Ice Sheet Scientists and Indigenous Greenlanders as an Opportunity for Change Anna Boyar Part 1. Introduction Greenland (officially called Kalaallit Nunaat) is a unique country, with a thriving majority Inuit population. Over the last few millennia, several waves of people have arrived. The current population of Inuit Greenlanders is descended from the Thule people. They brought with them sled dogs, which have been and continue to be an important part of Greenlandic culture and life. Greenland also happens to be an interesting and unique place to do research. Research on the ice sheet is important for predicting future ice flow and ice melting, and for knowing more about the past climate. As climate scientists we know intimately the impact climate change is having and will have on our world. We may also know that most climate movements are currently being led worldwide by indigenous people. In the modern environmental movement, environmental degradation is seen as a contemporary form of oppression toward indigenous peoples. Indigenous people are people who have never left the land they came from. Or, even if in the modern era they live somewhere else, they have knowledge about and a strong connection to a particular place. This gives indigenous people a strong foundation to build environmental activism from. If you are deeply connected to a place, it becomes very important to save that place from environmental degradation. Settlers often have an idea that if things get hard in a particular place, you can leave. Indigenous people have no such belief.
    [Show full text]
  • Paleoeskimo Dogs of the Eastern Arctic DARCY F
    ARCTIC VOL. 55, NO. 1 (MARCH 2002) P. 44–56 Paleoeskimo Dogs of the Eastern Arctic DARCY F. MOREY1 and KIM AARIS-SØRENSEN2 (Received 28 June 2000; accepted in revised form 11 June 2001) ABSTRACT. Sled or pack dogs have been perceived as an integral part of traditional life in the Eastern Arctic. This perception stems from our knowledge of the lifeway of recent Thule and modern Inuit peoples, among whom dog sledding has often been an important means of transportation. In contrast, the archaeological record of preceding Paleoeskimo peoples indicates that dogs were sparse at most, and probably locally absent for substantial periods. This pattern is real, not an artifact of taphonomic biases or difficulties in distinguishing dog from wolf remains. Analysis of securely documented dog remains from Paleoeskimo sites in Greenland and Canada underscores the sporadic presence of only small numbers of dogs, at least some of which were eaten. This pattern should be expected. Dogs did not, and could not, assume a conspicuous role in North American Arctic human ecology outside the context of several key features of technology and subsistence production associated with Thule peoples. Key words: Thule, Dorset, Inuit, zooarchaeology, dog, sled, transportation, economics, Greenland, eastern Arctic RÉSUMÉ. On a toujours considéré les chiens de traîneau ou chiens de somme comme faisant partie intégrante de la vie traditionnelle dans l’Arctique oriental. Cette perception vient de nos connaissances sur le mode de vie des derniers Thulés et des Inuits modernes, chez qui le traîneau à chiens a souvent représenté un mode de transport majeur. En revanche, les données archéologiques des peuples paléoesquimaux qui ont précédé Thulés et Inuits révèlent que les chiens étaient tout au plus clairsemés, et probablement absents localement pendant de longues périodes.
    [Show full text]
  • Building Capacity in Arctic Societies: Dynamics and Shifting Perspectives
    International Ph.D. School for Studies of Arctic Societies (IPSSAS) Building Capacity in Arctic Societies: Dynamics and Shifting Perspectives Proceedings of the Second IPSSAS seminar Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada May 26 to June 6, 2003 Edited by: François Trudel CIÉRA Faculté des sciences sociales Université Laval, Québec, Canada IPSSAS expresses its gratitude to the following institutions and departments for financially supporting or hosting the Second IPSSAS seminar in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada, in 2003: - Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade / Ministère des Affaires extérieures et du Commerce international du Canada - Nunavut Arctic College (Nunatta Campus) - Nunavut Research Institute - Université Laval – Vice-rectorat à la recherche and CIÉRA - Ilisimatusarfik/University of Greenland - Research Bureau of Greenland's Home Rule - The Commission for Scientific Research in Greenland (KVUG) - National Science Foundation through the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States - Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (INALCO), Paris, France - Ministère des Affaires étrangères de France - University of Copenhagen, Denmark The publication of these Proceedings has been possible through a contribution from the CANADIAN POLAR COMMISSION / COMMISSION CANADIENNE DES AFFAIRES POLAIRES Source of cover photo: IPSSAS Website International Ph.D. School for Studies of Arctic Societies (IPSSAS) Building Capacity in Arctic Societies: Dynamics and Shifting Perspectives Proceedings of the 2nd IPSSAS seminar, Iqaluit,
    [Show full text]
  • The Timing of the Thule Migration
    Polarjorschung 54 (1): 1-7, 1984 The Timing of the Thule Migration By Robert McGhee* Summary: The Thule culture of Arctic Canada is archaeologically ancestral to that of the Central and Eastern Arctic Inuit (Eskimos). The present paper examines evidence relating to the date of the migration which brought ancestral Inuit to Arctic Canada, and speculates on the nature and cause of this migration. It is conc1uded that earlier hypotheses, relating the Thule migration to expansion of hunting potential du­ ring the Mediaeval Warm Pertod. does not adequately explain the apparent rapidity of the the movement, nor the fact that the ice-fields of the central Arctic must have been unproductive for Thule hunters despite the c1imatic amelioration 0 f the time. It is suggested that the Thule migration occurred very rapidly, and may have taken place in order to obtain metal either from the Cape York meteorites of northwestern Greenland, or from the Norse Greenlandic colonies. Zusammenfassung: Die Thule-Kultur des arktischen Kanada ist der archäologische Vorläufer jener der zentralen und östlichen arktischen Inuit (Eskimo). Dieser Artikel untersucht die Informationen über den Zeitpunkt der Ausbreitung, die die Vorfahren der Inuit in das arkti­ sche Kanada brachte, und versucht, Art und Ursache dieser Bewegung zu ergründen. Danach erklären frühere Hypothesen, die die Thule­ Ausbreitung mit einer Ausweitung des Jagdpotentials während des mittelalterlichen Wärmeoptimums in Verbindung bringen, weder die of­ fensichtliche Geschwindigkeit der Bewegung noch die Tatsache hinreichend, daß die Eisfelder der Zentralarktis trotz der Klimabesserung für die Thulejäger unproduktiv waren. Es wird daher angenommen, daß die Thule-Ausbreitung sehr schnell erfolgte und ausgeführt wurde in dem Bestreben, sich Metall entweder von den Kap York-Meteorsteinen in Nordwestgrönland oder von den normannischen Siedlungen in Grönland zu beschaffen.
    [Show full text]