Impact on Northern Communities
This Expedition was the first to record in detail the life of the western Inuit. As the Expedition moved from Alaska to Yukon, then the Northwest Territories, the scientists met many other Inuit, but their work focused on the Copper Inuit. Diamond Jenness studied the Copper Inuit way of life: how they lived, worked, and travelled. He journeyed with Ikpukhuak and Higilaq, a Copper Inuit couple, who were his adoptive family. He did everything they did, learning about their history and customs, and using their tools and their means of survival.
About this video: The Inuit people constructed many unique tools and garments for living in the challenging environment of the Arctic. By living with a Copper Inuit family, Diamond Jenness was able to learn about these tools and techniques and share the Inuit knowledge for surviving in a northern climate.
About this video: The Inuit of Cape Dorset have a solid sense of family, society and tradition, and through their art have managed to place this tiny hamlet prominently on the international arts scene.
Local Cultures of 1913–1918
The Inuit people constructed many unique tools and garments for living in the challenging environment of the Arctic. By living with a Copper Inuit family, Diamond Jenness was able to learn about these tools and techniques and share the Inuit knowledge for surviving in a northern climate.
The Expedition had a major impact on Aboriginal communities by fostering movement and intermarriage across the western Arctic. Trading for artifacts introduced new tools, guns and various utensils to the Copper Inuit. Fox trapping was established as a local industry and lifestyle. Two of the Expedition schooners were left behind, forming a focal point for camps and settlements.