Archives of Manitoba
The Names and Knowledge Initiative
Discovering Indigenous people, places and knowledge
in the Hudson's Bay Company Archives
Do you recognize the people in these photographs?
Unidentified Inuk boy in hooded fur coat. [ca. 1940]. Photographer: [Dr. Sutton?].
Unidentified Inuk child, Cambridge Bay. 1954. Photographer: Don Blair.
Unidentified Inuit men standing outside post building. Man in foreground is smiling. [193-?]. Photographer: [Harvey Bassett?].
“A foster mother from Chesterfield [Inlet], only 12, but always accompanied by baby sister who rides on her back.” 1939. Photographer: Dr. R. L. Sutton.
There are many unidentified Inuit people in photographs at the Hudson’s Bay Company Archives. If you recognize family, friends, or community places in a photograph, we invite you to share this knowledge with us. We will add the names to the photograph captions, for everyone who views the records to see. With your permission, we will include your own name as the source of the knowledge.
Digital images of Inuit communities from the Hudson’s Bay Company Archives (HBCA) are available online through the Archives of Manitoba’s Keystone Archives Descriptive Database. These photographs prominently feature Inuit individuals and families as well as HBC post buildings, employees and activities from communities across the North. HBCA also holds post journals, letters, maps, account books, art and film in which Inuit people, place names and ways of living are recorded, many of which are also described in the database.
Please visit Keystone to search the database for photographs of Inuit communities by typing “Inuit” in the keyword search and click “Digital copies”.
Examples of photographs that community members have identified through this initiative:
“Little Lily Swaffield and two of her native friends.” [Left and middle: Ayowna Emiktowt and Hattie Alagalak] 1956. Photographer: O.J. Gromme. Names in square brackets provided by Jackie Netser of Coral Harbour.
Susan Sammourk. Chesterfield Inlet, [194-?]. Photographer: Mgr. Albert Tessier. Name provided by a member of the Rankin Inlet community.
Left to right: Igviksak, Dennis Kulaserk, Alphonse Naukatsik. Names provided by members of the Rankin Inlet community.
“Eastern Arctic: Southampton Island – Post manager’s daughter and Eskimo girl [Marguerite Nakoolak].” 1953. Photographer: Don Blair. Name in square brackets was provided by Tommy Bruce of Coral Harbour.
Please contact us at hbca@gov.mb.ca or call 204-945-4949 to find out more information about what records are available for your town, hamlet or region and how we can make them accessible to members of your community.
