Confessions of an Igloo Dweller

Barry M. Gough is a professor of history at Wilfrid Laurier University
and the author of The Northwest Coast: British Navigation, Trade, and
Discoveries to 1812.

This is the story of the man who brought Inuit art to the outside world.
James Houston lived among the Inuit of the Canadian Arctic from 1948 to
1962. Because of his insights and his ingenuity, West Baffin carvers
found their soapstone carvings marketed in unexpected places.

In a memoir that is structured as a series of vignettes, Houston writes
with affection and sympathy about the Inuit. Pervading the narrative is
his sense of wonder at being perhaps the first outsider to live in these
remote yet close-knit communities. Houston, who avoids a sustained
critique of outside influences on the Far North, nevertheless deplores
the introduction of alcohol and other poisons.

All in all, Confessions of an Igloo Dweller is an outstanding
contribution to Native studies.