This 1960 black and white documentary about Eskimos was part of a 1960-1962 television series known as “Expedition!” with host Colonel John D. Craig. This segment was photographed by Father Bernard Hubbard, the ‘glacier priest’ and an American geologist and explorer. Col. Craig introduces the show and there’s a “Place Commercial Here” pause (1:16). Father Hubbard, now the narrator, lived a year among these Eskimos (1:18-2:12). His focus was on King Island in the Bering Sea to test theories on when migration to North America began (2:13-2:45). The Perseus Coast Guard Cutter gave him and his dog McGee a ride. Father Bernard took a canoe full of supplies to the island (2:14-4:48). Cliff homes cling to the rocks. Young girls and women are shown cooking outdoors. The knife the women use is the same as on Greenland (4:49-5:10). McGee makes friends with a baby, who is put on the mother’s back in an unusual way, and she gathers wild spinach (5:11-5:45). The Eskimo kayak can be lashed to another for stability. Fishing uses a simple hook and line (5:46-6:40). A group climbs the nearly vertical rocks to hunt puffin and heron eggs (6:41-8:22). A blizzard begins. Inside, the men carve walrus ivory using a mouth drill (8:23-9:33). Winter, the Eskimos chop holes in the 4’ deep ice to catch fish and crabs (9:34-11:00). Spring, polar bear skins dry in the sun and the men build an umiak, a king-sized walrus skin boat of drift wood and whale bones lashed together with walrus sinew (11:01-11:42). The women prepare the boat’s skins by removing the blubber and sewing them together. Babies are cared for as their mother’s work (11:43-12:07). The men carry the large covering down to the boat and attach it (12:08-12:55). Food containers are added, lashings smeared with grease, and whale ribs make every line taut (12:56-13:10). Huge masses of ice break apart. The boat is loaded for its 2,000-mile voyage (13:11-14:19). Another commercial pause (14:43). An outboard motor is used to get to Point Lay. They pass rugged cliffs and communities of houses (14:44-16:25). Without ever having made known contact, the Eskimos spoke the same language. Blanket tossing is shown before the boat heads to Point Barrow, the northernmost point on the North American continent (16:26-17:09). Arriving, they find igloo like homes made of driftwood and earth. A trap door hides a natural freezer. The Eskimos had very little change in the dialect as those 2,000 miles away (17-10-17:55). Chunks of ice appear and the men decide to leave immediately. It’s a race against time to beat the onset of winter, arriving hours before the blizzard hits (17:56-19:25). They play football on the ice (19:26-19:45). A boat full of men leave to hunt walrus using harpoons (19:46-21:45). A pair of orphan baby seals are found to take back with Father Bernard (21:47-23:00). Before leaving, the people throw a farewell party and perform a ceremonial dance in native costumes (23:02-24:13). Col. Craig closes the show.
Bernard Rosecrans Hubbard (1888–1962) was an American geologist and explorer who popularized the Alaskan wilderness in American media during the middle of the 20th century. Known as "the Glacier Priest", he was a Jesuit priest, head of the Department of Geology at the University of Santa Clara, California, and for a time was the highest-paid lecturer in the world, leading 31 expeditions into Alaska and the Arctic.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
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