Peter Freuchen's Famous Book of the Eskimos Paperback – 1965

Peter Freuchen was good person, in all likelihood. And I grew up with this book, having read it in adolescence, then keeping a paperback copy around until I was 46, when a beloved Alaskan student staying at our house ran off with it (and may he keep it and enjoy it nevertheless).

I've now found it on Amazon as I prepare to leave the planet (within a decade or two), and it is still an amazing anthropological excursion to the Arctic that portrays what was on the minds of the (mostly male) Eskimos in the early part of the 20th century and how they lived their lives. His descriptions of their gustatory sophistication was disgusting (which I think he rather enjoyed knowing would be the response of a comfortable white woman), but most of his descriptions of ceremony, the harshness of daily life, the humor and revenge tactics, the genius, myths and dreams, the dogs, the ice, and, for me, how an old woman can leave the planet with some grace (she froze to death), have comforted me for many years.

Bravo, Peter. May your spirit live on, only may your next life be slightly more PC.

Peter Freuchen actually lived among the Greenland Eskimo in the early 20th century. He married into
an Eskimo family and clan, learned the language, and brought the isolated "people" (what these arctic
cultures called themselves in their own languages) into a familiarity that led to our modern fascination
with this culture.
This is to be considered a classic anthropological or ethnological study. It was once a standard work
found in many libraries. While not politically correct in every nuance, thank goodness, it is a treasure;
and I feel strongly that every copy that becomes available on the wonderful network of Amazon book
sellers should be snapped up without hesitation.
Sociologists, historians, naturalists, and especially armchair adventurers will find much of its accounts,
photographs, maps and eskimo lore very entertaining and very readable. (It definitely evokes the golden
years of National Geographic!)
But laid out, sometimes at a strongly "adult" reading level are the marriage customs, diet, hunting and often
near - starvation conditions these people endured. In the isolated, small group bands over centuries Eskimos
learned to utilize every facet of arctic conditions and climate. (Yes, even then, variations in the climate and ice
pack conditions were witnessed by these adaptable people.)
Not all is grim and stark: the humor, travel, sled dogs, clothing and seal flensing feasts are all here, along with
the settling of disputes and the gentle, indirect "insulting skills" of the indefatigable eskimo women. Eskimo derived
words endure in our language today: "kyak", and "igloo" are two examples.
Freuchen saw the advent of wireless radio, the introduction of european diseases, and the adoption of modern firearms
into Greenland settlements.
He somewhat self consciously bore the "white man's burden" and introduced contemporary Danish legalities
at trials, and village - level interventions a-la "Judge Judy" style. Actual criminal situations, marriage and divorce, wife
sharing and property divisions unfold. Cooking, fire tending and oil lamp details abound. Fur, hide and bone tools
were fashioned. Exquisite "primitive" art carving in ivory and whale bone show cultural life in an igloo, with husbands
often absent on extended hunting and fishing forays. It all brings the innocent humanity and universality of these
people to life.
Example - the eskimo diet in those days was amazing: once weaned as rather older children, there were no dairy products
in the diet. No vegetables, no flour, no potatoes, and no fruit or grain. Little to zero fire wood. No alcohol, no syrup, no
domestic animals save the treasured huskies. Freuchen shows us there were plenty of other resources these people prized,
shared, and sometime fought over.
In the end, you come to see these people as amazing and tough and intelligent; and you'll share Peter Freuchen's admiration
for them in those long ago days.
If you can also find it on Amazon, look for the movie "The Top of the World" and in the U.S.A. called "The Savage Innocents"
featuring Anthony Quinn and Peter O'Toole. It is a memorable and rarely shown 1959 dramatic "Hollywood" portrayal of
Eskimo life clashing with the western world's "civilized" ways.

I read this book about 50 years ago, and was fascinated and enchanted. I recently bought it for my wife, who has been on a spate of reading Eskimo related materials. She loved it. It is pre-New Age "anthropology" and so real, raw and authentic.

Kind of tedious reading at points. But extremely informative. I enjoyed learning things about Eskimo life that I’d otherwise have never known. Pretty cool read.

Having an older battered dying paperback edition, I was delighted to find a hardcover copy that will remain in my library for years. Written by an explorer who lived, wed, and passionately loved these people. A sympathetic exploration of these northernmost peoples' lives, cultures, and his experiences living with them as the world they knew was being drastically changed forever by exposure to European influx.

One of the most interesting and engrossing books I've ever read! Peter Freuchen lived with the Eskimos before they had much contact with Europeans. They live on the edge in a very difficult and unforgiving environment and the stories of survival and their society will stick with you long after you read this book. I highly recommend it!

I love this book. I had read it years before but lost the copy I had. Reading it again was just as enjoyable. The language is a little dated and it takes a little bit of getting used to but the stories of Freuchen's experiences living with the eskimo people are great. He gives just enough detail to make the stories interesting and, more importantly, give a snapshot into that culture -- which was his intent. I found the treatment of the eskimo culture absolutely fascinating.

A truly wonder true-life historical and personal story of living in a forbidden ( for me anyway) of people who live and love Alaska. Written years ago so at times their means of survival, such as eating blubber) seems foreign and not pleasing to me. But I have to say this book, which is out of print and I was very happy to have found it, never was dull for one page. I have also ordered another book by the same author and will give a review later. If you can find this book, get it and discuss the amazing history with your children or grandchildren...or any family member!!