TAISSUMANI December 21, 2011 - 4:29 pm
Taissumani, Dec. 23
Christmas on the Karluk
KENN HARPER
To those who explored the Arctic a century ago, especially those shipbound in areas where they did not encounter Inuit, Christmas could be a lonely and cheerless time. But the sailors made the most of their situations, and did whatever they could to alleviate the isolation with homemade...
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TAISSUMANI December 16, 2011 - 11:29 am
Taissumani, Dec. 16
How Inuit Knowledge Got Amundsen to the Pole – Part 2
KENN HARPER
Roald Amundsen planned everything about his expedition meticulously. He used the clothing that he had adopted years earlier while living among the Netsilingmiut in Gjoa Haven. Kamiks of sealskin were his footwear. He and his men wore parkas of caribou and seal skin, and hats and gloves of the same...
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TAISSUMANI December 08, 2011 - 11:39 am
Taissumani, Dec. 9
How Inuit Knowledge Got Amundsen to the South Pole
KENN HARPER
Roald Amundsen was an accomplished man — the first to travel through the North West Passage by ship, and the first to reach the South Pole. December is an important month for Amundsen lovers, as mid-month marks the 100th anniversary of his reaching the most southerly point on the globe.
That...
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TAISSUMANI December 01, 2011 - 10:49 am
Taissumani, Dec. 2
Saltwater Shamans
KENN HARPER
The Inuit who once lived in the inland Kivalliq region lived a life quite different from that of their fellow Inuit on the coast.
Anthropology generally refers to these people as the Caribou Inuit or Caribou Eskimos — Farley Mowat popularized them as “The People of the Deer,” the title of his...
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TAISSUMANI November 24, 2011 - 10:26 am
Taissumani, Nov 25
May Day on a Whaler
KENN HARPER
A tradition developed on Scottish whaling ships to the Arctic that crew members making their first trip – green hands as they were called – had to be initiated to the rigors of the north.
A similar tradition existed on merchant ships crossing the equator. On Arctic ships the ceremony — which for...
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