Muskox Land: Ellesmere Island in the Age of Contact (review)

Muskox Land is a sprawling, impressive contribution to the understanding of northern Canadian history. Prepared with a sharp eye for contemporary historiographical trends and abundant narrative detail, this study of Ellesmere Island provides an unusually rich and complex description of the evolution of human activity in a part of the country that few Canadians give more than a passing thought. Although at times it seems as though the number of pages in this overly long book might outnumber the people who lived on and passed through Ellesmere Island, the result is a monograph that provides important insights into the history of Canada's Far North.

The book has a unique structure, presenting the history of the region as a combination of continuity, circumstance, and change. The first section demonstrates the continuities through an examination of the broad contours of the interplay of the environment, culture, and human activity in the High Arctic, with excellent analysis of human adaptation to Arctic conditions and detailed examination of relations between the Inuit and the Inughuit (from Greenland). The second part, 'Circumstances,' looks at more specific newcomer events, including Arctic exploration, the interventions of Robert E. Peary, Canada's sovereignty in the High Arctic, and the early arrival of outside adventurers, hunters, and scientists in the region. 'Change,' the third section, examines how human cultures reacted to the Arctic environment and how the intrusions of human beings altered the ecological balance in the region. The book's final section - which focuses on the period from the post-Second World War era to 2000 - describes the controversial relocation of the Inuit in the Eastern Arctic, the evolving natural and cultural conditions in the region, and in what Dick describes as 'Continuity Reasserted,' the re-emergence of Inuit authority in the region through land claims and political processes.

Dick's work makes some very important contributions. It is one of the most sophisticated examinations - and easily the most thorough - of the interaction of human cultures and the environment in the Canadian North. The author displays an impressive and multidisciplinary familiarity with the literature on the High Arctic and appears as comfortable discussing Inuit ecological encounters as he does international diplomacy and newcomer explorations. He manages to cover a multiplicity of themes without marginalizing the Inuit experience or consigning it to the introductory sections of the book. At the same time, Dick is able to explain the geopolitical implications of the High Arctic and, in some of the most original analysis in the book, to explain the cultural and conceptual importance of the region to southern societies. While there are occasions when the comprehensiveness of Dick's treatment seems excessive, the overall effect is convincing and instructive. The breadth of Lyle Dick's approach to the subject results in a detailed and authoritative account of the history of Ellesmere Island.

Parks Canada and its predecessors in the historical sites business have, for decades, contributed significantly to the understanding of Canadian history. Most of this work exists in the form of 'grey literature,' non-refereed government publications, most of them highly detailed and technical. Since the projects were commissioned in response to the needs of historical sites preservation, the in-house nature of the publications and the limited circulation that they received made sense. But this book, undertaken to support and influence the historical interpretation at Quttinirpaaq National Park, sought and deserves a broader audience. Although the extensive detail recalls the style of Parks Canada publications, the attention to historiographical and interpretative issues makes it clear that Lyle Dick and Parks Canada intended the book to address the wider historical profession.

Muskox Land is a very fine work of historical scholarship. The footnotes document thorough research, including interviews with Inuit residents of Grise Fiord. The well-chosen illustrations, including an impressive set of images from colourized lantern slides and detailed maps, provide important visual and contextual information. The author demonstrates an unusually fine balance of narrative and analysis, capitalizing on...