Nanook of The North (1922) - Edit Analysis

 

    The sequence portrays one of the occasional events of the Eskimos life – bartering for different weapons and goods they can’t usually get in their daily lives in exchange for the products they acquire through hunting. The documentary Nanook of The North (1922) enables us to have a closer look at the life of Eskimos living in northern Canada. While the main character of the film happens to be Nanook, the viewers also get to see the lifestyle of Eskimo women, children and other Eskimo hunters. The film gives us insights into the Eskimos’ labor division, hunting rituals, homemaking practices, gender roles, social hierarchy, belief system and childrearing practices. Furthermore, it tells the story of the interaction between humans and nature, particularly, the process of Eskimos’ adaptation to the strict climate of the north.

How can these people live in such a cold temperature and still be joyful and smiley? – was my first question after watching the documentary. As the filmmaker narrates himself: “The sterility of the soul and the rigor of the climate no other race could survive; yet here, utterly dependent upon animal life, which is their sole source of food, live the most cheerful people in all the world – the fearless, lovable, happy-go-lucky Eskimo” (2:57-3:19). Indeed, the Eskimos seem quite proud and content with their way of life and it would be arguable whether they would like to live somewhere else.  

What caught my attention was the labor division between genders: while males were building igloos, hunting, trading and bringing the food to the family, women were taking care of the igloos from the inside, looking after the children and helping their husbands to get ready for the hunting. Furthermore, the specific sequence in which the mother (Nyla) and the baby are playing with the baby husky illustrates the relationship between the Eskimo mother and her child.  Firstly, it was surprising to me that the child was sitting fully naked at such a low temperature. Nevertheless, this is how the Eskimos acclimatize to northern Canadian weather. The scene gives us an idea of Eskimo child’s upbringing practices. Aside from adapting to the climate, the Eskimos become friends with the huskies, which later in their life helps them with hunting and transportation. Nanook, along with his family, is also responsible for his dogs. In one of the scenes, the filmmaker shows us that Nanook makes one smaller igloo for the puppies to keep them warm and safe at night.

 The filmmaker uses different camera angles to portray the life of the Eskimos. In the sequence, he firstly shows us the overall process of the barter – Nanook, the trader and other Eskimos showing each other their products. Later, the camera focuses on the woman, child and the puppies. Furthermore, the camera comes closer to the dog and the baby, making them the central focus of the sequence.

While we can’t hear the Eskimos’ voices in the documentary, we can understand the filmmaker’s reactions to the scenes by the music he is using in different sequences. The music becomes more joyful when Nanook puts baby huskies on the pelt. Later, the music gets more harmonious to accentuate the purity and innocence of a child playing with the puppies. It is also noteworthy that the filmmaker narrates the story both – in a visual and written way by inserting notes between the scenes. While these cuts help the viewer to better understand the Eskimo lifestyle, it also illustrates the filmmaker’s authorship and the way he sees the Eskimos.   

Robert Flaherty’s documentary is rich with ethnographic data and it can be analyzed through different sociological and anthropological theoretical lenses. It would be particularly interesting for me to make a comparative analysis of Eskimo life in 1922 and now in relation to climate change and see how their daily practices have changed throughout the past decades. For this comparison, Flaherty’s film would serve as crucial ethnographic data.