Captain George Comer in the rig, 1907
as a place that provided everything they needed . Tradi tionally, it provided them with fo od, shelter, and life itself. They m et the challenges of the environment with determination and ingenui ty and with survival skills sharpened over many generations. Most American whalers and o ther visitors to the Arctic viewed it in a less favorable light. They saw the Arctic as a barren, mysterious, and dangero us place. To them it was a place of hardship, with an unforgiving environment that could take life away quickly. George C omer came to view the icy shores and waters of Hudson Bay through the eyes of the Inuit. As a result of his hard work and comprehensive documentation of their culture, he came to understand the place and, more importantly, its people. To the Inuit, he was not so much an outsider. He was a person who took the time to know them. H e was a sympathetic friend. Among the most important aspects of C omer's legacy are his surviving collections, which include approximately 30 journals and notebooks, 300 photographs, 60 sound recordings, 300 plaster life masks, and 4,000 objects. This impressive body of resource material transports us to a time and place in the pas t, providing a close-up view and better understanding of Captain George Comer and his Inuit fri ends. J,
,.
outstanding photographic record of the Inuit as they struggled to remain connected to th eir traditional life ways, in the fa ce of the increasing presence of the Canadian government, traders, missionaries, explorers, and whalers. During the period 1893- 191 2, Comer spent the equivalent of about 14 years away from home in Hudson Bay. Although his chosen life bro ught m any personal hardships, the extended separations from his wife and children must have been extremely difficult for them as well. Communication by letter was spo radic and depended on the few ships passing in and out of the Hudson Bay during the years of Comer's presence there. His family had many reasons to be concerned for his welfare. Al though the whal ers could create a relatively comfortable ro utine during their winters in Hudson Bay, the enviro nm ent and remo teness of the region frequently created hardships and, occasion-
22
ally, life-threatening danger. Co mer once fell thro ugh the ice while out hunting four miles from his ship. W ith the temperature about thir ty degrees below zero, an Inuit companio n pull ed him to safety, got him on a dogsled, and raced him to his ship, saving his life. The event clearly illustrates the real danger that was always present during Comer's years in the north. In his letters hom e, Com er occasionally expressed fr ustration with limited whaling success but generally seemed to express a positive state of mind . H e becam e as comfo rtable in the Arc tic as he was in Connecticut, and possibly more so. Despite the difficul t environmental conditions, he carried out his wo rk-whaling, trading, and Inuit studies-with determinatio n and energy. His journal entries ofren describe conditions as pleasant and comfo rtable, even during the coldest days of the winter. The In uit viewed their Arctic wo rld
This article is based primarily on two major collections of Comer journals and papers. These are: the "George Comer C ollection," Collection 102, at Mys tic Seaport's G .W Blunt White Library; and the "Papers of George Com er," American Museum of Natural History, Division of Anthropology Archives. Readers m ay also be interested in a m ajo r exh ibition at Mys tic Seaport, "Frozen In: Captain George Comer and the Hudson Bay Inuit," scheduled to open on 24 May. For the first time ever, C omer's sound recordings, photographs, Inuit objects, and writings will be bro ught together from a number of institutions and private collections to provide an unprecedented view of Cap tain Com er and his Inuit fri ends. (Mystic Seaport, 75 G reenmanville Ave., M ys ti c, CT 06355; www.mysticseaport.org)
Fred Calabretta is Curator of Collections and Oral Historian at Mystic Seaport. SEA HISTORY 123, SUMMER 2008