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Inuit, Oblate Missionaries, and Grey Nuns in the Keewatin, 1865-1965 |
eBook Available
A lively introduction to an encounter between two completely different civilizations in the context of Christianization, hospitalization, and education.
Over the century between the first Oblate mission to the Canadian central Arctic in 1867 and the radical shifts brought about by Vatican II, the region was the site of complex interactions between Inuit, Oblate missionaries, and Grey Nuns - interactions that have not yet received the attention they deserve.
Enriching archival sources with oral testimony, Frédéric Laugrand and Jarich Oosten provide an in-depth analysis of conversion, medical care, education, and vocation in the Keewatin region of the Northwest Territories. They show that while Christianity was adopted by the Inuit and major transformations occurred, the Oblates and the Grey Nuns did not eradicate the old traditions or assimilate the Inuit, who were caught up in a process they could not yet fully understand. The study begins with the first contact Inuit had with Christianity in the Keewatin region and ends in the mid-1960s, when an Inuk woman joined the Grey Nuns and two Inuit brothers became Oblate missionaries.
Bringing together many different voices, perspectives, and experiences, and emphasizing the value of multivocality in understanding this complex period of Inuit history, Inuit, Oblate Missionaries, and Grey Nuns in the Keewatin, 1865-1965 highlights the subtle nuances of a long and complex interaction, showing how salvation and suffering were intertwined.
Enriching archival sources with oral testimony, Frédéric Laugrand and Jarich Oosten provide an in-depth analysis of conversion, medical care, education, and vocation in the Keewatin region of the Northwest Territories. They show that while Christianity was adopted by the Inuit and major transformations occurred, the Oblates and the Grey Nuns did not eradicate the old traditions or assimilate the Inuit, who were caught up in a process they could not yet fully understand. The study begins with the first contact Inuit had with Christianity in the Keewatin region and ends in the mid-1960s, when an Inuk woman joined the Grey Nuns and two Inuit brothers became Oblate missionaries.
Bringing together many different voices, perspectives, and experiences, and emphasizing the value of multivocality in understanding this complex period of Inuit history, Inuit, Oblate Missionaries, and Grey Nuns in the Keewatin, 1865-1965 highlights the subtle nuances of a long and complex interaction, showing how salvation and suffering were intertwined.
Details
520 Pages, 6.75 x 9.75
103 b&w photos, 8 tables, 2 figures
ISBN 9780773556836
September 2019
Formats: Cloth, Paperback, eBook
"As important as this volume is as social historical narrative, of at least equal import is its presentation of how the Inuit and the clergy perceived, resisted, and appreciated each other's cultures. In virtually every chapter, Inuit voices are given equal treatment with those of the missionaries." ARCTIC
“This collection of materials is a gold mine for leads to primary sources and Indigenous voices […]. Those interested in missiology and Inuit anthropology will find this book valuable, as will those interested in the history of Catholicism among the Inuit of the northern Hudson Bay region.” American Indian Culture and Research Journal
“This collection of materials is a gold mine for leads to primary sources and Indigenous voices […]. Those interested in missiology and Inuit anthropology will find this book valuable, as will those interested in the history of Catholicism among the Inuit of the northern Hudson Bay region.” American Indian Culture and Research Journal
Frédéric B. Laugrand is professor of anthropology at Université Laval and FNRS Fellow at Université catholique de Louvain in Belgium, and co-author of Inuit Shamanism and Christianity: Transitions and Transformation in the Twentieth Century.
Jarich G. Oosten (1945-2016) was associate professor of anthropology at Leiden University and the author of numerous books, including Inuit Shamanism and Christianity: Transitions and Transformation in the Twentieth Century with Frédéric B. Laugrand.
Jarich G. Oosten (1945-2016) was associate professor of anthropology at Leiden University and the author of numerous books, including Inuit Shamanism and Christianity: Transitions and Transformation in the Twentieth Century with Frédéric B. Laugrand.
Tables, Figures, and Illustrations • ix
Acknowledgments • xiii
Chronology • xvii
Introduction • 3
PART ONE The Adoption of Christianity in the Hudson Bay and Keewatin Region
1 From First Contact to the Opening of a Roman Catholic Mission in Chesterfield Inlet • 15
2 Integrating Christianity into Inuit Culture • 54
3 Crossing Religious Boundaries: The Role of Inuit Preachers • 88
PART TWO The Hospital at Chesterfield Inlet
4 Inuit and Grey Nuns in Chesterfield Inlet: “To Support the Body to Better Reach the Souls” • 123
5 New Developments for a Modern Hospital • 152
6 Life at the Hospital: Social and Religious Activities • 188
PART THREE The Residential School at Chesterfield Inlet
7 The Chesterfield Inlet Residential School • 233
8 A New Education: The Acquisition of New Skills and the Loss of Knowledge • 260
9 Daily Life and Sexual Abuse at the Residential School • 291
PART FOUR The Recruitment of Inuit Nuns and Priests
10 The Search for Inuit Nuns • 315
11 Pelagie and Her Work for the Diocese of Churchill-Hudson Bay • 339
12 The Search for Inuit Priests and the Value of Inuit Traditions • 360
Conclusion • 385
Appendices
1 Register of Students Attending the Federal Day School at Chesterfield Inlet (1955-69) • 393
2 Principals, Teachers, and Staff at the Chesterfield Inlet School (1953-68) • 408
3 List of Nuns Who Worked at the Chesterfield Inlet Hospital and Residential School • 411
4 List of Inuit Elders • 414
5 Qimuksiraaq’s Songs Recorded by Miss Bolton and Transcribed and Translated by Father Arthur Thibert • 418
Glossary of Inuktitut words • 425
Place names • 429
Notes • 431
References • 469
Index • 483
Acknowledgments • xiii
Chronology • xvii
Introduction • 3
PART ONE The Adoption of Christianity in the Hudson Bay and Keewatin Region
1 From First Contact to the Opening of a Roman Catholic Mission in Chesterfield Inlet • 15
2 Integrating Christianity into Inuit Culture • 54
3 Crossing Religious Boundaries: The Role of Inuit Preachers • 88
PART TWO The Hospital at Chesterfield Inlet
4 Inuit and Grey Nuns in Chesterfield Inlet: “To Support the Body to Better Reach the Souls” • 123
5 New Developments for a Modern Hospital • 152
6 Life at the Hospital: Social and Religious Activities • 188
PART THREE The Residential School at Chesterfield Inlet
7 The Chesterfield Inlet Residential School • 233
8 A New Education: The Acquisition of New Skills and the Loss of Knowledge • 260
9 Daily Life and Sexual Abuse at the Residential School • 291
PART FOUR The Recruitment of Inuit Nuns and Priests
10 The Search for Inuit Nuns • 315
11 Pelagie and Her Work for the Diocese of Churchill-Hudson Bay • 339
12 The Search for Inuit Priests and the Value of Inuit Traditions • 360
Conclusion • 385
Appendices
1 Register of Students Attending the Federal Day School at Chesterfield Inlet (1955-69) • 393
2 Principals, Teachers, and Staff at the Chesterfield Inlet School (1953-68) • 408
3 List of Nuns Who Worked at the Chesterfield Inlet Hospital and Residential School • 411
4 List of Inuit Elders • 414
5 Qimuksiraaq’s Songs Recorded by Miss Bolton and Transcribed and Translated by Father Arthur Thibert • 418
Glossary of Inuktitut words • 425
Place names • 429
Notes • 431
References • 469
Index • 483
