Life with the Esquimaux
The Narrative of Captain Charles Francis Hall of the Whaling Barque George Henry from the 29th May, 1860, to the 13th September, 1862

First published in 1864, this two-volume work describes the American explorer Charles Francis Hall's first Arctic expedition.

Charles Francis Hall (Author)

9781108041393, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 29 December 2011

370 pages, 60 b/w illus.
21.6 x 14 x 2.1 cm, 0.47 kg

In 1860, Charles Francis Hall (1821–71), the American 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 two-volume work remains of great interest to anthropologists, sociologists and geographers. His eye-witness accounts of the indigenous people's dwellings, hunting pursuits, birth and death rites, transportation, interpersonal relationships, and survival strategies in severe weather conditions provide an insight into Inuit culture in the nineteenth century. In Volume 2 he tells of his discovery in Frobisher Bay of artefacts from Martin Frobisher's sixteenth-century mining venture; the survival of these relics, together with his understanding of Inuit memory systems, convinces him that traces of Franklin and his crew may yet be found.

1. Journey to the Unknown, or 'Dreaded Land'
2. An excursion to the whaling depot
3. The 'George Henry' free from her icy prison
4. Departure on boat-voyage to explore Frobisher Bay
5. Chewing old boots
6. Encampment on Rae's Point
7. Peale Point
8. Departure from Greenwood's Land
9. Land on an island
10. A storm
11. Visit to the friendly natives
12. The anvil
13. Sick Mam-ma-yat-che-ung immured in a living tomb!
14. Movements of the ship's company
15. Commencement of a sledge-journey up Frobisher Bay
16. Continue the journey up Frobisher Bay
17. Innuit food
18. Ebierbing and Tookoolito
19. Revisit Victoria Bay
20. The Innuit name
Appendices.

Subject Areas: Social & cultural anthropology, ethnography [JHMC]