Hunting with the Eskimos; The Unique Record of a Sportsman’s Year among the Northernmost Tribe – the Big Game Hunting, the Native Life, and the Battle for Existence through the long Arctic Night. Illustrated with photographs by the author.

Description

Whitney, Harry. Hunting with the Eskimos; The Unique Record of a Sportsman’s Year among the Northernmost Tribe – the Big Game Hunting, the Native Life, and the Battle for Existence through the long Arctic Night. Illustrated with photographs by the author. New York: The Century Co., 1910. First American edition. pp. xiv, 453. Measuring 6 x 9 inches. Black and white photographic frontispiece accompanied with the original tissue guard and 63 plates and illustrations from wonderful photographs taken by the author including many depicting the Inuit. One black and white fold-out map. Navy blue cloth with gilt stamped title to the spine and front board, untrimmed page edges. Edgewear, slightly shaken, ink inscription and stamp of the previous owner to the title page, faint tide marks to the right margins of a few of the initial pages (unaffecting content). Overall, the text-block remains clean with sound binding. Overall, good+. Significantly, the title and copyright page bears the inscription, signature and stamp of Father Frans Van De Velde – O.M.I. [Member, Oblates of Mary Immaculate]. “Member of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate religious order, cultural historian, author, and genealogist, Father Franz (Frans) was born in Belgium on 28 November 1909 to Arthur Van de Velde and Gabriella Lanens de Lier. He graduated from a Jesuit secondary school in 1929, but chose to join the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, a worldwide missionary order founded in France. He took his first vows as an Oblate on 8 September 1930, in Niewenhove, and was ordained a priest by Bishop Rassneur on 8 September 1933 in Velaines, Belgium. Also known by his Inuit name Ataata Vinivi, he was honoured by Belgium as “Knight in the Order of the Crown” (Decoration de Chevalier de l’Ordre de la Couronne) in Ottawa on 25 February 1986. He received the Order of Canada award from His Excellency Edward Schreyer on 11 April 1984. In 1981, Princess Margriet unveiled a granite sculpture dedicated to him in his Flemish hometown of Landskouter. Carved by Belgian artist Frans Heirbaut, it depicts Ataata Vinivi, an Inuk woman, and the famous Pelly Bay stone church. Father Van de Velde retired from northern parish ministry in 1986 and spent the rest of his life in Belgium.” (Source: ARCTIC VOL. 55, NO. 4 (DECEMBER 2002) P. 407–408). Hardcover. (#365) $200.00