My Life with the Eskimo

I recently finished "My Life with the Eskimo" by Vilhjalmur Stefansson (1879- 1962). It was published in 1913 and documents life amongst the indigenous cultures of the Northwest Territories and northeast Alaska.

Most striking to me in diving into this book was Stefansson's deep respect for the Eskimo demonstrated via his cultural sensitivity toward the history and traditions of these people and concern about the loss of these life ways amongst the Eskimo. In everything from housing, to hunting, religion, and diet, he makes note of how the indigenous culture is steadily becoming untied from its traditional roots and affixed to the habits, religion, and "luxuries" of the white mans culture that is moving in.

At the turn of the century the growing dominance and negative implications of white cultural infiltration in the sub arctic zone were well in play. Its refreshing and illuminating to read from the perspective of someone who can see through the supposed "progress" and "civilization" of his own culture. I think of this being an era before such complexity was really entertained; that god, guns and profit were where it was at and that was it.

What seems to be novel about Stefansson's approach is his belief that arctic travel could be based on living as the indigenous people of the arctic live --to "live on the country" as he says-- rather then come to the journey with mountainous piles of equipment and supplies to facilitate a trip supported through money and the import of all necessary goods. This approach serves him well and seems go in hand with his perceptiveness about the appropriateness of native technology, nutrition and belief systems.

There is a particularly dramatic turn of events when Stefansson encounters a village of Eskimo who had never before seen a white man --an indication of the remoteness of these people-- and amidst them sees for the first time the fabled "blonde Eskimo"; Inuit who showed physical characteristics that seemed to suggest prior European interbreeding. Stefansson speculates about possible movement of early Norwegians who colonized Greenland and then might have moved onto the northern areas of Canada. Subsequent DNA testing have shown these theories to be wrong.

Stefansson makes it clear that he sees "adventure" defining what happens when planning and caution give way to improvisation and careless execution. He seeks above all to avoid adventures and sees the successful journey as one where events are predictable and without incident. I appreciate this perspective. One might think it would suggest a boring book if "nothing" happens, but in truth the book is an engaging story of life and travel amongst a rapidly changing culture, while, for the most part, nothing catastrophic befalls the author or his companions.