Category: Social Sciences, Map, English, Inuit
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The written literature about Inuit/Eskimo peoples is a rich resource of great value to today’s students, scholars, educators, researchers, and northern residents. Yet many of the most interesting and valuable accounts derived from early contact situations are rare, out-of-print, or otherwise unavailable—especially to northern communities. The goal of the Hubert Wenger Eskimo Database project has been to make many of these early and primary accounts more widely available through digital media. Nearly 200 titles—primarily books and journal articles—have been included in the database and are uniformly searchable with powerful text-retrieval software.
Introduction From the time of Columbus, the American continent was seen by Europeans as a barrier between Europe and the Orient. A passage through it was the prime object of many voyages of exploration. Magellan had sailed around South America in 1520, but the icy northern shores were mysterious and seemed unassailable. The search for a sea route across the top of North America began in the 16th century as a commercial venture sponsored by London merchants. By the 19th century it was obvious that a Northwest Passage would not be a useful seaway, but finding it became an obsession, as did the attainment of the North Pole late in the century.
This site provides information on the 250-year relationship between Moravian missionaries and the Inuit of Labrador. This interaction led to the establishment of settlements for a formerly nomadic people, their conversion to Christianity and exposure to aspects of North American culture. The information has been gathered from a variety of sources that shed light upon this unique adventure. Read more
