Full Description
In 1860, Charles Francis Hall (1821-71), the American polar explorer, embarked on the first of two voyages to the Canadian Arctic region aimed at investigating the fate of Sir John Franklin's lost expedition of 1847. During his time in the Arctic, Hall lived amongst the Inuit community, learning their language and embracing their everyday life. First published in 1864, Hall's recollections remain of great interest to anthropologists, sociologists and geographers. His eye-witness accounts of the indigenous people's dwellings, interpersonal relationships, hunting pursuits, birth and death rites, methods of transport, and survival strategies in severe weather conditions provide an insight into Inuit culture in the nineteenth century. Volume 1 describes Hall's journey north, arrival at Holsteinborg, the Danish administrative centre in Greenland, and onward voyage to Baffin Island, where his search for traces of Franklin, and his experience of Inuit life, began.
Contents
Preface; Introduction; 1. Departure; 2. Land and visit the Governor; 3. Visit of Governor Elberg to the ship; 4. Crossing Davis's Straits; 5. Visit by the natives; 6. First visit to Frobisher Bay; 7. Boat incident; 8. Splendid displays of the Aurora; 9. Visit to Esquimaux village; 10. Remarkable echo; 11. Rough travelling overland; 12. Writing under difficulties; 13. Irksome change from a snow house to the ship's cabin; 14. Visit by some Innuits; 15. First excursion in Frobisher Bay; 16. Snow-blindness; 17. A successful deer-hunt.
