The Diary of Abraham Ulrikab

Text and Context

edited by Hartmut Lutz, foreword by Alootook Ipellie, by (photographer) Hans-Ludwig Blohm

tagged: native american studies, native americans

Description

In August 1880, businessman Adrian Jakobsen convinced eight Inuit men, women, and children from Hebron and Nakvak, Labrador to accompany him to Europe to be "exhibited" in zoos and Völkerschauen (ethnographic shows). Abraham, Maria, Noggasak, Paingo, Sara, Terrianiak, Tobias, and Ulrike agreed, partly for the money and partly out of curiosity to see the wonders of Europe, which they had heard about from Moravian missionaries.

The Inuit arrived in the fall of 1880 and were much talked and written about in the local press. Meanwhile, the Moravian missionaries, who had begged them not to embark on the journey, were busily writing letters and trying to stay in contact with Abraham and his family. By January 1881 all eight Inuit had died of smallpox.

This story is told through several different perspectives, from Abraham's diary, the earliest known Inuit autobiography, and the missionaries’ letters and reports, to a scholarly article, newspaper pieces, and even advertising. Many illustrations, including portraits done of the Inuit visitors, scans of some of the original documents in German, and recent photos of the abandoned Moravian mission in Hebron, round out Abraham’s intriguing and unfortunate story.

About the Authors

Hartmut Lutz taught North American Studies in Germany, specializing in Indigenous literatures. He won awards and professorships in North America and Europe. His publications include Contemporary Challenges: Conversations with Canadian Native Authors (1991), The Diary of Abraham Ulrikab (2005) and Contemporary Achievements (2015).

Alootook Ipellie was born in 1951 in a camp near Iqaluit, Nunavut, in what was then called the Northwest Territories. He spent his childhood and teenage years experiencing the transition from the traditional nomadic Inuit way of life to government-sponsored Inuit village settlements. In 1973, after a short stint as an announcer/producer for CBC radio in Iqaluit, he moved to Ottawa to study and pursue a career in art. He became a noted artist and a central figure in the Inuit literature movement. Ipellie was the editor of the magazines Inuit Today, published by the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada, Inuit, published by the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, and Kivioq: Inuit Fiction Magazine. His artwork and writing were first highlighted in the 1978 Inuit writing anthology Paper Stays Put: A Collection of Inuit Writing, and he was the co-ordinator of the Baffin Writer’s Project. His artwork, essays, stories, and poetry have been featured in numerous publications, and his art has been featured in exhibits in Canada, Greenland, and the United States.

Hans Blohm, born in Germany, is an internationally acclaimed photographer, who has travelled across Canada extensively. Canada's North and Northern People have long held a particular fascination for Hans and he has explored by sailboat the fjords of Labrador and their villages, including Hebron.

Contributor Notes

Hartmut Lutz chairs American and Canadian Studies at the University of Greifswald, Germany, and has received several awards, including a Harris Chair at Dartmouth College and the John G. Diefenbaker Award, which brought him to the University of Ottawa in 2004 for a year-long study leave.

Writer, graphic artist, cartoonist, photographer, and Inuktitut translator Alootook Ipellie was born in 1951 in the small hunting camp of Nuvuqquq. His work has been anthologized many times and he was touted by John Robert Colombo as "the most prolific of contemporary Inuit writers."

Age:: 14
Grade:: 9

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The Diary of Abraham Ulrikab

Text and Context

edited by Hartmut Lutz, foreword by Alootook Ipellie, by (photographer) Hans-Ludwig Blohm

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