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From Reindeer Lake to Eskimo Point: A Canoe Expedition Across the Barren Lands

Dallas Turner

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In the summer of 1927, a group of four men set out on a canoe expedition from Reindeer Lake to Eskimo Point, on the shores of Hudson Bay. The expedition was led by George M. Douglas, a young ethnologist from the University of Pennsylvania. Douglas was accompanied by John R. Stanton, a graduate student in anthropology; Art Petersen, a Norwegian-American trapper and guide; and Charlie Brown, a Cree Indian from Reindeer Lake.

From Reindeer Lake to Eskimo Point

by Peter Kazaks

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Language	:	English
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The expedition's goal was to study the life and culture of the Chipewyan Indians, who lived in the area between Reindeer Lake and Eskimo Point. The Chipewyan were a nomadic people who hunted caribou and fished for whitefish and trout. They lived in teepees made of caribou skins and traveled in canoes made of birch bark.

The expedition began at Reindeer Lake, where the men built two canoes from birch bark. They then paddled north up the Reindeer River, through a series of lakes and rapids. Along the way, they encountered numerous Chipewyan families, who were friendly and welcoming. The men learned about Chipewyan hunting and fishing techniques, and they traded for caribou skins and other goods.

After several weeks of travel, the expedition reached the headwaters of the Kazan River. They then portaged their canoes across a height of land and paddled down the Kazan River to Eskimo Point. Eskimo Point was a small settlement of Inuit people, who lived in igloos made of snow and ice. The men spent several days at Eskimo Point, learning about Inuit culture and trading for seal skins and other goods.

The expedition returned to Reindeer Lake in the fall of 1927. They had traveled over 1,000 miles by canoe, and they had made a valuable contribution to the study of Chipewyan and Inuit culture. The expedition's findings were published in a book by Douglas, entitled "From Reindeer Lake to Eskimo Point: A Canoe Expedition Across the Barren Lands." The book is still considered a classic work on the Chipewyan and Inuit peoples.