Over the century between the first Oblate mission to the Canadian central Arctic in 1867 and the radical shifts brought about by Vatican II, the region was the site of complex interactions between Inuit, Oblate missionaries, and Grey Nuns – interactions that have not yet received the attention they deserve. Enriching archival sources with oral testimony, Frédéric Laugrand and Jarich Oosten provide an in-depth analysis of conversion, medical care, education, and vocation in the Keewatin region of the Northwest Territories. They show that while Christianity was adopted by the Inuit and major transformations occurred, the Oblates and the Grey Nuns did not eradicate the old traditions or assimilate the Inuit, who were caught up in a process they could not yet fully understand. The study begins with the first contact Inuit had with Christianity in the Keewatin region and ends in the mid-1960s, when an Inuk woman joined the Grey Nuns and two Inuit brothers became Oblate missionaries. Bringing together many different voices, perspectives, and experiences, and emphasizing the value of multivocality in understanding this complex period of Inuit history, Inuit, Oblate Missionaries, and Grey Nuns in the Keewatin, 1865–1965 highlights the subtle nuances of a long and complex interaction, showing how salvation and suffering were intertwined.

Frédéric B. Laugrand is professor of anthropology at Université Laval and FNRS Fellow at Université catholique de Louvain in Belgium, and co-author of Inuit Shamanism and Christianity: Transitions and Transformation in the Twentieth Century. Jarich G. Oos

Frederic B. Laugrand's profile page

Jarich G. Oosten (1945–2016) was associate professor of anthropology at Leiden University and the author of numerous books, including Inuit Shamanism and Christianity: Transitions and Transformation in the Twentieth Century with Frédéric B. Laugrand.

Jarich G. Oosten's profile page

“This collection of materials is a gold mine for leads to primary sources and Indigenous voices […]. Those interested in missiology and Inuit anthropology will find this book valuable, as will those interested in the history of Catholicism among the Inuit of the northern Hudson Bay region.” American Indian Culture and Research Journal

"As important as this volume is as social historical narrative, of at least equal import is its presentation of how the Inuit and the clergy perceived, resisted, and appreciated each other's cultures. In virtually every chapter, Inuit voices are given equal treatment with those of the missionaries." ARCTIC