Exhibition celebrates extraordinary endurance of the people of the Western Canadian Arctic
Gatineau, Quebec, November 4, 2003 — The Canadian Museum of Civilization (CMC) is pleased to announce the opening of Across Time and Tundra: The Inuvialuit of the Canadian Arctic, the most important exhibition ever presented on the history and culture of this dynamic, enterprising people. The Inuvialuit are the Inuit ("Eskimos") living in the Western Canadian Arctic, west of the new territory of Nunavut in the Northwest Territories. The exhibition chronicles the successes and challenges of this vibrant community, while focusing on questions of identity and cultural survival that are of concern to peoples everywhere. It will be presented from November 6, 2003 to January 9, 2005.
At one time the Inuvialuit were the largest and most prosperous Inuit group in Canada. By 1910, ravaged by diseases introduced by contact with Europeans, their population had been reduced by 90 per cent. The dramatic and moving story of the Inuvialuit's survival and resurgence is told through a rich selection of artifacts and historical photographs, many on public display for the first time. Visitors will learn about the traditional life of the Inuvialuit and how that life changed with the arrival of Europeans in the nineteenth century.
"The Inuvialuit have confronted some extraordinary challenges in their history, including the devastation caused by infectious diseases brought by outsiders and threats to the very survival of their language and traditions," says Dr. Victor Rabinovitch, President and CEO of the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation. "Their resilience and strength of spirit enabled them to come back from the brink of extinction and keep their culture alive. This is a story every Canadian should know."
The exhibition was mounted in close consultation with Inuvialuit Elders and community members. It includes nearly 200 artifacts and 150 archival photographs drawn from the collections of the CMC, the Smithsonian Institution's MacFarlane Collection, and the McCord Museum's Sutherland Collection.
Interactive multimedia elements help visitors explore the reality of Inuvialuit culture. Inside the stylized reconstruction of a traditional Inuvialuit sod house, visitors can take a virtual tour of its residents' domestic activities. In an interactive studio, visitors can put on traditional costumes and see themselves on video dancing alongside Inuvialuit drum dancers.
Special activities accompanying the exhibition include a performance by the Mackenzie Delta Drummers and Dancers on November 8 and 9, 2003, a lecture by the exhibition's curator, Dr. David A. Morrison, and the release of a publication, Across Time and Tundra: The Inuvialuit of the Western Arctic, co-authored by Dr. Morrison, Ishmael Alunik and Eddie Dean Kolausok.
The Museum recently launched a virtual exhibition on the interaction between the Inuvialuit and the Canadian Arctic Expedition of 1913–1918, the first major Canadian scientific expedition to the Far North. The site can be found at www.civilization.ca/hist/cae/splashe.html.
Across Time and Tundra is the first CMC exhibition — indeed the first major exhibition anywhere — to focus exclusively on the history and culture of the Inuvialuit. It is also the first CMC exhibition to present the substantive history, from earliest times to the present day, of a particular Aboriginal group in Canada.
Across Time and Tundra: The Inuvialuit of the Canadian Arctic will be presented at the Canadian Museum of Civilization from November 6, 2003 to January 9, 2005.
FACT SHEETS
Media Information:
Chief, Media Relations
Canadian Museum of Civilization
Tel.: (819) 776-7167
Media Relations Officer
Canadian Museum of Civilization
Tel.: (819) 776-7169
Fax: (819) 776-7187
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