Taissumani, July 23

A School for Inuit Explorers

KENN HARPER

A newspaper article published in 1882 was way ahead of its time.

In that year the Richwood, Ohio “Reporter” published an article called simply “The Esquimaux” (using the old French spelling of Eskimo). In it, the reporter, heaped praise on Inuit for their accomplishments.

“Even the...

Taissumani, July 16

The Secret of Smith Sound

KENN HARPER

Smith Sound is the body of water separating Ellesmere Island from Greenland at their closest points. It is the route that American and British explorers used in their attempts in the late 1800s to reach the North Pole.

Those early attempts all ended in failure. Often the explorers...

Taissumani, July 9

World’s Fair Babies

I’ve written before about the 60 Inuit from Labrador who were taken to Chicago in 1892 to appear the following year at the World’s Columbian Exposition, commonly known as the Chicago World’s Fair.

Some of the Inuit women were pregnant when they left Labrador. On November 1, the first Inuit baby...

Taissumani, July 2

Biologists in summer

KENN HARPER

Lancaster Sound, I see, is back in the news. The federal government wants to have it both ways, touting it as a potential marine park because of its tremendous biological richness, while also wanting to explore its oil and gas potential.
No conflict there, they say, we’ll never...

Taissumani, June 25

Remembering Keith Crowe — Tulugaq

KENN HARPER

Inuit lost a great and loyal friend with the passing of Keith Crowe on May 16.

Keith Jeffrey Crowe was born in Yorkshire, England on January 30, 1927. As a young adult, he emigrated to Canada shortly after World War II. In Canada he found work as a surveyor. After working in that...