James A. Houston (1921–2005)

Six-word review: Clash of cultures threatens group's survival.

Extended review:

Baffin Island is a land mass in the Arctic Circle of Canada, between the mainland and Greenland. This forbidding territory is home to the Inuit (Eskimo) people, whose ancient culture has taught them how to thrive in a land of snow and ice. This is the setting of The White Dawn, James Houston's fictionalized account of what happened when members of two profoundly different cultures tried to live together in this show more extreme environment.

One day in 1896, a small party of Inuit encounter three strangers lost and half dead at the edge of the frozen sea. The men have become separated from their New Bedford whaling vessel, and only their timely discovery by chief Sarkak and his sons saves them from certain death.

Nursed back to health in the Inuit camp, the three outsiders have much to learn of the strong, enduring traditions that enable the people of the far north to survive. But their presence upsets the balance of leadership and cooperation in the camp and thus destabilizes the society. Irreversible changes follow.

This book is so beautifully and convincingly written that I forgot many times that I was reading fiction, and moreover fiction written by someone who was not native to the narrator's culture. I found it deeply moving and in many ways enlightening, as if the experiences had happened close to me.

I read The White Dawn immediately after finishing The Enchanted, an intense, brilliant, disturbing novel (reviewed here) whose main character cherishes The White Dawn as his favorite book. Numerous books have led me to other books, but I think this is the first time I've read one on the recommendation of a fictitious character. Beyond the bare fact of the role that one book plays in the other, the connection between the two is not obvious. Since finishing The White Dawn, I've been pondering the mysterious link that joins them. I think it exists not where mind meets mind but where myth touches soul. show less

The subtitle to this book is “An Eskimo Saga” which indicates that it was written before the present day when the indigenous peoples of the Canadian north were called Eskimo, not Inuit. One might conclude that the author was a white person who did not value the indigenous perspective. But “one” couldn’t be more wrong. Yes, James Houston was white but he was the first white person who seriously started collecting Inuit art and, in his writings, he shows how the native people show more survived and thrived in a harsh climate before the intrusion of Europeans.
Houston says in his Author’s Note that the events chronicled in this book are based upon true events which were told to him during the 12 years he lived in the Eastern Arctic. A whaling ship from Massachusetts was hunting right whales off the coast of Baffin Island in 1896. One of the boats that went out to harpoon the whales was hauled off by the whale and the fog and ice prevented finding the boat. Of the six men on board, two fell into the water and one died soon after the boat was abandoned. The other three were found by a small tribe of Eskimos and they were nursed back to health. The story of the next year is told by Avinga, a young man who lived with the family of the chief, Sarkak. Avinga’s mother was married to Sarkak but it was thought that some other man fathered Avinga. When Avinga was very young he was attacked by dogs and badly injured so that he could not walk very far. He says he was basically a slave in Sarkak’s household but he was not mistreated and he ate just as well as any other member. Avinga was one of the people who first saw the white whalers. He and his half-brothers were retrieving meat from a cache when they found the deceased man and then followed the tracks of the others. On their return to camp they told Sarkak who commanded them to go out and find the others. This was a life changing decision for Sarkak and all his people. Avinga was able to observe how the white men interacted with his own people because Sarkak had them added to his own household.
The three white men were the third mate, Billy, the harpooner who is only called the Portuguese and a sailor by the name of Daggett. The Eskimo called them respectively Pilee, Portagee and Kakuktak (which means the white-haired one because Daggett was blonde). Kakuktak was the white man who made the most effort to learn the Eskimo ways. He learned words in their language and went out hunting with the native hunters. All three of the men took Eskimo girls to bed but Kakuktak was very serious about his girl, Neevee, whom he asked to go to America with him if their ship returned. Pilee had two girls sharing his bed and their antics were a source of wonder to the Eskimo women who came to watch them in bed. Portagee was very popular with all the women and he probably even slept with Sarkak’s second wife. Sharing wives with visitors was a common occurrence but it had to be done with the consent of the wife and the knowledge of the husband. Avinga asserts that the women in the village were very much involved in matters regarding the tribe and had at least as much power as the men although they wielded their power diplomatically.
The three white strangers impacted Sarkak’s tribe in small ways and big ones. They introduced new games and new positions for intercourse. They started a fashion of sticking pictures made from sealskin to the inside of igloos. However, they also made liquor from berries which caused many people to become drunk for the first time in their lives. They talked back to Sarkak and refused his orders which none of the Eskimo had ever thought of doing. These white strangers changed the way of life that had existed for years. They were also changed but read the book to find out how. show less

Interesting book. Sarah Wells was living with her family in New Hampshire in the 1750's. Her brother Josh had just joined the militia unit to fight in the French and Indian war and Sarah's mother, father and grandfather leave the farm to go see him march off. This leaves Sarah, her younger brother Benjamin, the indentured servant Peleg and the Indian slaves on the farm. Peleg and Sarah engage in some illicit sex in the barn loft and are thus surprised when Abnaki natives attack the farm. show more Peleg and Sarah are captured by the Abnakis and forced to march back to their village on Lake Champlain, Mississquoi. En route Peleg escapes after killing one of their captors but Sarah could not get away. At the village, Sarah is taken as a slave by the mother of the warrior who was killed. There is another white woman slave in the camp, Hawk. Sarah and Hawk manage to exchange a few words every day while they are gathering wood. Hawk is the slave of a French soldier who lives in the village. He is brutal to Hawk but Sarah's owners treat her quite well, especially the young son, Taliwan. In fact, Sarah and Taliwan start making love in the nighttime when the mother is asleep.

Life in the village is not too bad for Sarah but she is revolted by the cruelty the Abnaki display to some captives. When Taliwan tells her he will be leaving his mother's shelter to become a warrior and that warriors abstain from sex, Sarah decides to try to get back to her home. She and Hawk form a plan and manage to slip away in the early spring.

That's not the end of the book but I would have to reveal spoilers if I say more. Suffice it to say there is more tragedy for Sarah but also love.

Houston appears to have been a sort of Renaissance Man who combined a talent for visual art with a love of aboriginal culture and a facility for writing. He designed the central sculpture of Calgary's Art Museum and worked as a designer for Steuben Glass. He was influential in bringing the art of the Eastern Arctic to the attention of the wider world. Until I read this book I had never heard of him. I have another of his books on my Mount TBR and I will be keeping my eyes open for others. show less

James Houston lived a most interesting life but until about 10 years ago I had never heard of him and certainly did not know his pivotal role in introducing Inuit art to the outside world. I first learned about him by picking up several of his works of fiction and when I read them I was intrigued enough to look up more information about him. He lived in the Eastern Arctic, specifically Baffin Island, for twelve years during which time he married. His wife and his two sons lived in the Arctic show more with him much of the time.

This book starts with Houston's first trip to the Arctic. He was staying in Moose Factory and a pilot offered him a free ride to the eastern side of Hudson's Bay with him and a doctor. From that first visit Houston knew he wanted to live in the Arctic and he started finding a way to do so. An artist who had trained with Arthur Lismer, Houston started doing sketches of the Inuit with whom he spent time. When he gave these sketches to the subjects they in turn gave him small carved sculptures that they had made. Houston showed them to people at the Canadian Handicrafts Guild in Montreal they recognized the artistry. Houston arranged to go back north and trade for more sculptures which the Guild would then sell. The Inuit did not use money at the time so Houston gave them items like rifles and cloth that they could use. Later he arranged that they would be given vouchers that they could turn in at the Hudson's Bay Company stores for products that they wanted. As the Inuit gave up their nomadic lifestyle and settled in villages their ability to earn money by creating art meant they were not reliant on government handouts. Houston made many friends among the Inuit and often went on hunting trips with them. As the title suggests on these trips they built igloos and stayed in them. Houston's descriptions of survival on the land are fascinating. He left the north on his own volition after ensuring that the artistic endeavours were established and that they would be maintained by the Inuit. After living in the far north it is almost beyond belief that he would take up living in New York City as a designer for Steuben Glass. That portion of his life is documented in his next memoir, Zigzag. show less