Author

Trott, Christopher G. (Christopher Geoffrey), 1959-

Material Type

Journal Article

Journal

Journal of the Canadian Church Historical Society

Date

1998 Spring

Volume

40

Issue

1

Page

[31]-55

Notes

A survey of the complex processes of mission and conversion among the North Baffin Inuit focusing on the period from 1929 until 1947 and the death of Canon John Turner. "This article does not attempt to articulate the 'Inuit voice' in the discussion except in so far as that voice appears within the remarkable religious movements that have taken place" (p. [31]). In addition to the conflict between Anglican and Roman Catholic (primarily Oblates of Mary Immaculate) missionaries, there were "significant tensions between the missionaries (especially the Anglicans) and members of the other white institutions in Pond Inlet: the HBC [Hudson Bay Company] and the RCMP [Royal Canadian Mounted Police] detachment. For the most part the missionaries tended to avoid each other" (p. 40). "The objective for both the Anglican and the Catholic missionaries became to consolidate their work and extend their sphere of influence into new areas. The Catholic missionaries had a small established congregation in Igloolik but had been largely excluded from influence in both Pond Inlet and Arctic Bay. The Anglicans faced the problem of trying to distribute their resources over an increasingly large area, and an increasingly committed Inuit population" (p. 46). After the accidental death of Canon John Turner in 1947, the "Anglicans entrenched their work in Pond Inlet and made Arctic Bay (Moffet Inlet), Fort Ross and Igloolik outstations. This meant that Arctic Bay was visited two to four times a year by an Anglican missionary for the next 33 years. The church was left to the care of local catechists who had to struggle to make sense out of the debris from the prophet movement and Turner's sudden death. The Catholic Church concentrated its efforts in Igloolik, maintained a priest in Pond Inlet and visited the outstations. The hostility did not end between the Anglicans and the Catholics" (p. 47). "The opening years of Christian missions in North Baffin Island reflect the complex processes of cross-cultural communication and conversion. The aggressive competition between the Anglicans and Roman Catholics added a further level of confusion to the process: (p. 47-48).

Article includes map (p. 32) and is divided into sections: Early Missions in Baffin Island -- Establishing the Missions in North Baffin Island -- Interdenominational and Inter-institutional Tensions -- Expansion Outward from Pond Inlet -- Consolidation and Conflict with Inuit -- Conclusion -- Notes.

Subjects

Missions - Anglican Church of Canada - History

Native peoples - Canada - Missions - History

Inuit - Canada - Anglican Church of Canada

Inuit - Missions - History

Inuit - Canada - Religion

Anglican Church of Canada. Diocese of the Arctic - History

Turner, John Hudspith (Jack), 1905-1947

Missionaries - Canada, Northern - History

Location

General Synod Archives

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