The White Dawn: An Eskimo Saga

In the 1890's, three whalers became stranded in the northern regions of the Canadian Arctic and were rescued by a group of Inuit. Depicting these real events in the novel The White Dawn: An Eskimo Saga, James Houston describes how the social fabric of the Inuit village unraveled when these refugee whalers were welcomed as guests by the small tribe. The author is a master storyteller—a skill he honed in a successful career writing novels for both adults and children—and readers will be entranced by this tale. A native of Canada, also Houston studied art in Toronto, Paris, and Japan. Perhaps this artistic training and talent, along with the 14 years he spent living embedded among the Inuit in their Arctic environment, explains his unusually eloquent descriptions of the beauty and harshness of life in that region. (Many of his children's books are set in the same region and he also provided the highly-praised illustrations for these books.) Understanding how deeply art and culture were intertwined, Houston became a lifelong promoter of Inuit art. What emerges from his combined talents in The White Dawn is not only an absorbing and beautifully written story, but one that also gently teaches us about the Inuit culture and shows us the splendor of their landscape. The story is told entirely from the perspective of one of the Inuit villagers, which provides an insider's look into the community. We learn that, in the Inuit culture, social transgressions by guests should be quietly overlooked or tolerated, a tendency that persists even when these transgressions become egregious. As a consequence, the three long-term guests in this story never understand their own transgressions, nor the environmental pressures that led to developing the culture of their Inuit hosts. As the story unfolds, we can see that social norms such as cooperation and reciprocity were probably essential to the survival of a community that shares food, small living spaces, and sexual partners in a harsh environment. As outsiders, the three visitors in this story do not realize that carelessly changing friendly Inuit games into more aggressive European-American style competitions might beget cracks in the village's social structure. A series of other events instigated by the outsiders, including changing the sexual behaviors in the community and the introduction of alcohol, inexorably lead to destructive consequences for both the tribe and the outsiders. The novel may be seen as an allegory for the clashing of cultures that are so completely different that one group must eventually destroy the other in order to save itself. Although we are not surprised when relationships begin to deteriorate and turn violent, readers will still find the book hard to put down. Rarely is a book both this educational and interesting at the same time, just one mark of Houston's greatness as a writer.

I have been wanting to read this book for years and have found it hard to come by at local stores. It was well worth ordering and reading. Quite interesting account of eskimo lives and society and how outside influences can upset a society. This is a story I will remember.

Thank you.

Shows how the Inuit live and think through an encounter with three members of a whaling ship lost in fog.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in northern exploration and the life struggles of the Arctic regions. This is an unusual tale of interrelations between the Eskimos and white explorers and how cultural differences affected them all. Suspenseful, full of adventure, enlightening and thought provoking. A great read!

Loved both books. If you are slow reader, a lover of historic fiction, or just fun or interesting history - these are perfect. Not for the real young as it covers topics of sex.

James Houston, a noted glass designer (for Steuben) lived among the Eskimos as a civil servant for the Canadian government. He helped them organize coops for the distribution of their art. This book is about the sailors who are taken in by Eskimos after their ship sinks. It vividly contrasts the highly organized and friendly Eskimo society with the unruly and often cruel code of the European seafarer. Great reading from an author who knows! Also recommend his Spiritwrestler.

Interesting stories, interesting author.

I found the book very interesting..and I had a hard time putting it down ...loved it..James Houston is an excellent writer