The Inuit Were Right: Shipwreck Find Confirms 168-Year-Old Oral History
The discovery of a ship that had been missing since 1846 has at least partially solved one of Canada's favorite mysteries; what's more, its location confirms the veracity of Inuit accounts that never squared with the accepted version of what happened.
The Inuit testimony was discounted by many, and for decades—now generations—the final fate of the Franklin wrecks was unknown, or at least unverified.
Now, one of the ships has been discovered, in shallow waters in an area called Utjulik, just as the Inuit oral accounts had maintained.
"For us Inuit it means that oral history is very strong in knowledge, not only for searching for Franklin's ships but also for environment and other issues," Louie Kamookak, an Inuit historian, told CBC News.
Read more at http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2014/09/10/inuit-were-right-shipwreck-find-confirms-168-year-old-oral-history-156837
and also
PMO downplayed rich Inuit link to discovered Franklin ship
The Franklin expedition ship found by researchers on the Arctic seabed has a detailed and colourful history within Inuit oral tradition, yet the Inuit garnered only one 17-word sentence among the press releases and backgrounders released by the Prime Minister’s Office at the time after Tuesday’s announced discovery.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the discovery of the submerged shipwreck Tuesday. The hunt for the Franklin ships, which were last seen by European eyes in 1845, has been a priority for the Harper government. Parks Canada led six searches for the ships since 2008.
Yet, the general public wouldn’t know about the key role Inuit oral history played in the selection of the search area by reading the information posted on the PMO’s website. There, the role of the Inuit in the Franklin saga is mentioned only in passing.
Oh, well. When their cities are underwater maybe they'll try harder to pay attention.
= new reply since forum marked as read
