Reclaiming Early Ethnography Through Contemporary Inuit Cultural Production

The dissertation is concerned with how Inuit artists are reclaiming knowledge from early ethnographic texts. Early ethnographic texts, such as the writing, photographs, and cultural products produced or acquired by Danish-Greenlandic explorer Knud Rasmussen during the Fifth Thule Expedition (1921-1924), helped shape dominant perceptions of Inuit and their communities. For example, Rasmussen was hired by the Government of Canada in 1925 to act as a consultant for Arctic policy. During his tenure, Rasmussen identified what he perceived to be a loss of traditional Inuit culture, but he also argued that cultural loss was necessary for Inuit to survive in “modern society” (Bown 284). Rasmussen’s arguments, which were prevalent in anthropological discourses throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, are reflected in the genre of “salvage ethnography,” or texts created by early ethnographers that sought to preserve Indigenous cultures under the false assumption of disappearance. These discourses continue to have significant relevance today, as Inuit representational organizations, such as Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), partner with the Government of Canada to develop documents like the Arctic Policy Framework, which will shape federal priorities in the North until 2030. The research is guided by two main questions: How is the knowledge contained in early ethnographic texts being reclaimed and mobilized in contemporary Inuit literature and film? And how can these artistic texts shape contemporary discourses about Inuit cultures, communities, and people? The dissertation aims to answer these questions through engagement with the primary texts, including: Mini Aodla Freeman’s Life Among the Qallunaat (1978/2015), Igloolik Isuma Productions’ The Journals of Knud Rasmussen (2006), and Aqqaluk Lynge’s Taqqat uummammut aqqutaannut takorluukkat apuuffiannut/The Veins of the Heart to the Pinnacle of the Mind (2008). Conventional literary analysis methods, such as close reading, are supported by interviews with the artists, and fieldwork in Nuuk, Greenland (January-May 2018) and Igloolik, Nunavut (July 2018). The dissertation advocates for a methodological shift in Indigenous literary studies that prioritizes consultation with artists, the importance of fostering relationships, and working outside the physical confines of texts. Drawing from Kim TallBear’s methodology of “standing with,” which credits specialists who are not conventionally regarded as scholars within the restrictive framework of the academy, but who are essential to scholarship (82), I advocate for centring the knowledge of artists due to their lived expertise within the field. However, shifting methods in literary studies towards a model that prioritizes the contributions of artists presents significant challenges, including additional pressures on artists’ labour and a lack of institutional support for both students and mentors. These methodological inquiries are developed via engagement with three major texts. The first chapter considers how the original 1978 publication of Aodla Freeman’s Life Among the Qallunaat was miscategorised as a form of reverse ethnography, while the 2015 edition maintains its initial memoir status. Using an interview with the author, a comparative reading between the two editions, and an analysis of the original typescript, I argue that Hurtig Publishers’ mischaracterization of the text made it more marketable to Southern audiences and facilitated a reverse ethnographic reading. The second chapter, concerning the Isuma film The Journals of Knud Rasmussen, draws from interviews with several crew members to examine how the creation of the community-produced film provided opportunities for re-teaching and re-learning cultural knowledge. Creators of the film drew from Rasmussen’s ethnographic material to facilitate these processes. Lastly, the third chapter uses Lynge’s text and an interview with the author to consider the potential of using relational methodologies for studying Greenlandic literature. As a Kalaaleq (Greenlandic) politician and author, Lynge engages with Rasmussen’s ethnographic work to challenge dominant narratives concerning the representation of early “exploration” in Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland), including the essential contributions of Arnarulunnguaq, the memorialization of these events, and the major concerns involved with representing Kalaallit Nunaat as a place that can be “explored.” The conclusion serves as a call to action for scholars in Indigenous literatures to use non-textual methods.

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