
Apostle to the Inuit
The Journals and Ethnographic Notes of Edmund James Peck - the Baffin Years, 1894-1905
University of Toronto Press
Published on 18. November 2006
Book
Hardback
420 pages
978-0-8020-9042-3 (ISBN)
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Description
Apostle to the Inuit presents the journals and ethnographical notes of Reverend Edmund James Peck, an Anglican missionary who opened the first mission among the Inuit of Baffin Island in 1894. He stayed until 1905, and by that time, had firmly established Christianity in the North. He became known to the Inuit as 'Uqammaq,' the one who talks well. His colleagues knew him as 'Apostle among the Eskimo.'
Peck's diaries of the period focus on his missionary work and the adoption of Christianity by the Inuit and provide an impressive account of the daily life and work of the early missionaries in Baffin Island. His ethnographic data was collected at the request of famed anthropologist Franz Boas in 1897. Peck conducted extensive research on Inuit oral traditions and presents several detailed verbatim accounts of shamanic traditions and practises. This work continues to be of great value for a better understanding of Inuit culture and history but was never before published.
Apostle to the Inuit demonstrates how a Christian missionary who was bitterly opposed to shamanism, became a devoted researcher of this complex tradition. Editors Frederic Laugrand, Jarich Oosten, and Francois Trudel highlight the relationships between Europeans and Inuit and discuss central issues facing native peoples and missionaries in the North. They also present a selection of fascinating drawings made by Inuit at the request of Peck, which illustrate Inuit life on Baffin Island at the turn of the twentieth century. The book offers important new data on the history of the missions among the Inuit as well as on the history of Inuit religion and the anthropological study of Inuit oral traditions.
Peck's diaries of the period focus on his missionary work and the adoption of Christianity by the Inuit and provide an impressive account of the daily life and work of the early missionaries in Baffin Island. His ethnographic data was collected at the request of famed anthropologist Franz Boas in 1897. Peck conducted extensive research on Inuit oral traditions and presents several detailed verbatim accounts of shamanic traditions and practises. This work continues to be of great value for a better understanding of Inuit culture and history but was never before published.
Apostle to the Inuit demonstrates how a Christian missionary who was bitterly opposed to shamanism, became a devoted researcher of this complex tradition. Editors Frederic Laugrand, Jarich Oosten, and Francois Trudel highlight the relationships between Europeans and Inuit and discuss central issues facing native peoples and missionaries in the North. They also present a selection of fascinating drawings made by Inuit at the request of Peck, which illustrate Inuit life on Baffin Island at the turn of the twentieth century. The book offers important new data on the history of the missions among the Inuit as well as on the history of Inuit religion and the anthropological study of Inuit oral traditions.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Toronto
Canada
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
With dust jacket
Dimensions
Height: 231 mm
Width: 163 mm
Thickness: 38 mm
Weight
912 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8020-9042-3 (9780802090423)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Frederic Laugrand is an associate professor in the Department of Anthropology at Universite Laval.
Jarich Oosten is a professor in the Department of Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology at Universiteit Leiden.
Francois Trudel is a professor in the Department of Anthropology at Universite Laval.
Jarich Oosten is a professor in the Department of Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology at Universiteit Leiden.
Francois Trudel is a professor in the Department of Anthropology at Universite Laval.
Content
Acknowledgments
Chronology
Map - Cumberland Sound
The Founding of an Anglican Mission on Baffin Island, 1894-1905
PART ONE: THE JOURNALS
Eleven Years among the Inuit of Cumberland Sound, 1894-1905
Journal, 1894-1895
Journal, 1895-1896
Journal, 1897-1898
Letter, 1899
Journal, 1900-1901
Journal, 1902
Journal, 1903-1904
Journal, 1904-1905
PART TWO: THE ETHNOGRAPHIC DOCUMENTS
The Ethnography of Peck
The Eskimos, Their Beliefs, Characteristics, and Needs
Describing 'Heathen Customs'
Eve Nooeyout
Oosotapik
Qoojessie
The Tuurngait
List of Spirits by the Missionary E.J. Peck
Notes
References
Index of Names
Chronology
Map - Cumberland Sound
The Founding of an Anglican Mission on Baffin Island, 1894-1905
PART ONE: THE JOURNALS
Eleven Years among the Inuit of Cumberland Sound, 1894-1905
Journal, 1894-1895
Journal, 1895-1896
Journal, 1897-1898
Letter, 1899
Journal, 1900-1901
Journal, 1902
Journal, 1903-1904
Journal, 1904-1905
PART TWO: THE ETHNOGRAPHIC DOCUMENTS
The Ethnography of Peck
The Eskimos, Their Beliefs, Characteristics, and Needs
Describing 'Heathen Customs'
Eve Nooeyout
Oosotapik
Qoojessie
The Tuurngait
List of Spirits by the Missionary E.J. Peck
Notes
References
Index of Names