Baraka Books

Inuit and whalers on Baffin Island through German eyes; Wilhelm Weike's arctic journal and letters (1883-1884).

Müller-Wille, who taught geography at McGill U., Canada, and Gieseking, a comedian and writer from Germany, present the journal and letters of Wilhelm Weike, a 23-year-old handyman from Minden, Germany who spent 1883-1884 among the Inuit and whalers on Baffin Island in the Arctic. Scientist and cultural anthropologist Franz Boas hired Weike to assist him in his geographical and ethnological research of the Inuit following the first Polar Year of 1882-1883. The authors have edited and annotated the journal, which describes the environment, expedition, and his social contact with Inuit and whalers and daily life, as well as revealing his character and attitudes. They also present a biography of Weike, information on Boas, and discuss Weike's observations and contributions to Boas's work. The volume was translated from the German by William Barr (Arctic Institute of North America, U. of Calgary, Canada). (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)