Tales and Traditions of the Eskimo

This 1875 English translation recounts Inuit folk tales and customs observed in Greenland by the Danish scholar Hinrich Rink.

Published in English in 1875, this work is a condensed version of a two-volume study of Inuit folk tales and customs observed in Greenland by Hinrich Rink (1819–93) and first published in Danish in 1866 and 1871. Illuminating Inuit culture, the work was revised and translated by Rink himself.The Danish geologist and geographer Hinrich Rink (1819–93) amassed decades of experience in exploring Greenland, becoming well versed in the language and customs of the Inuit. The present work is a condensed version of his investigations into indigenous culture, first published in two volumes in 1866 and 1871. Rink revised and translated the work from Danish into English for this 1875 publication, and the text was emended by the Scottish scientist and explorer Robert Brown (1842–95). In the book's first part, Rink describes succinctly the Inuit mode of life in Greenland. The second part, which is significantly longer, recounts the legends and folk tales that Rink had recorded on his travels. The book also includes a number of illustrations drawn and engraved by the Inuit people themselves. This work will appeal to those interested in the history of Inuit culture and nineteenth-century ethnography.