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Confessions of an Igloo Dweller
An insider's look at life among the Inuit describes his years of living among the native peoples of the Canadian Arctic, sharing anecdotes about his adventures, his family, his interest in Inuit art, and the impact of the Inuit on his later life
320 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 10, 2018
I quite enjoyed this book. I live in an Inuit community and it is mind-blowing how quickly things have changed at both the societal and individual levels since James Houston set foot in the Arctic.
Houston's style is disjointed, sometimes seemingly (or actually?) with no noticeable purpose in the writing. It comes across as storyteller-esque, but at times it gets frustrating when he spends a lot of time writing about someone (for example, his wife) and then he or she disappears without explanation for the remaining 75% of the book.
He does, however, come across as honest, which I appreciated. I'm sure it must be mortifying for his family to read about his casual sexual encounter with an Inuk woman in the 1940s while her husband was out hunting, and I'm sure it must have been difficult to know that his Inuit friends would probably learn that he had once attempted to throw their worst carvings into a crack in some ice, but his candidness and honesty was definitely refreshing compared to some of the garbage I've been reading lately.
I think this book is essential reading to, well, almost anyone capable of reading. You don't need to be Canadian or to live in the Arctic or to know about Inuit culture to get something meaningful out of this book. In fact it might even be an asset if none of those apply to you.
Houston's style is disjointed, sometimes seemingly (or actually?) with no noticeable purpose in the writing. It comes across as storyteller-esque, but at times it gets frustrating when he spends a lot of time writing about someone (for example, his wife) and then he or she disappears without explanation for the remaining 75% of the book.
He does, however, come across as honest, which I appreciated. I'm sure it must be mortifying for his family to read about his casual sexual encounter with an Inuk woman in the 1940s while her husband was out hunting, and I'm sure it must have been difficult to know that his Inuit friends would probably learn that he had once attempted to throw their worst carvings into a crack in some ice, but his candidness and honesty was definitely refreshing compared to some of the garbage I've been reading lately.
I think this book is essential reading to, well, almost anyone capable of reading. You don't need to be Canadian or to live in the Arctic or to know about Inuit culture to get something meaningful out of this book. In fact it might even be an asset if none of those apply to you.
June 14, 2009
I picked up this book because I was surprised to learn that my favorite Santa Cruz author, James Houston, had been a visual artist in the Arctic for many years. The writing style seemed uncharacteristically unevenly paced and slowly the contradictory autobiographical details accumulated to the point to where I realized that this was not written by my beloved author James L. Houston, but a Canadian artist and author, James A. Houston. An overzealous librarian had inserted the erroneous middle initial on the title page, adding to my confusion.
These autobiographical stories are more memoirs than confessions, with a few notable exceptions. Some are ultra-short, and others many pages, much like a personal journal. Time period is 1948 – 1962, beginning after Canada annexed the Northwest Territories, when Canada sought to make the Inuit into regular Canadian citizens. At the time, Inuit were nomadic, living in tents and igloos and traveling by dogsled. This process of Canadian-ization might have been ugly but for James A. Houston.
During the time when only the most skilled seaplane pilots could provide access, Houston stayed with the Inuit to learn about and sketch vignettes of Inuit native culture. He fell in love with the people and their world. Soon the Canadian government hired him as a sort of culture officer/translator between Inuit and Canadians, charged with bringing the Inuit into the modern world. Excited by the native carvings, he encouraged the Inuit to produce more carvings, and arranged for their art to be shown throughout the world. This provided the Inuit with a means to enter the modern world while preserving their native traditions, using their traditional art as a trade commodity. It would have improved the book if the author had included photos of this art, and a more complete map.
Houston also married and raised two children, lived off the land, traveled for long periods of time by dogsled, made many close Inuit friends, and taught the Inuit printmaking techniques and set up studios to help them further express themselves artistically. His divergent stories of various friends and experiences come together like a beautiful bouquet, a wholistic insider’s view of the Arctic during that time.
These autobiographical stories are more memoirs than confessions, with a few notable exceptions. Some are ultra-short, and others many pages, much like a personal journal. Time period is 1948 – 1962, beginning after Canada annexed the Northwest Territories, when Canada sought to make the Inuit into regular Canadian citizens. At the time, Inuit were nomadic, living in tents and igloos and traveling by dogsled. This process of Canadian-ization might have been ugly but for James A. Houston.
During the time when only the most skilled seaplane pilots could provide access, Houston stayed with the Inuit to learn about and sketch vignettes of Inuit native culture. He fell in love with the people and their world. Soon the Canadian government hired him as a sort of culture officer/translator between Inuit and Canadians, charged with bringing the Inuit into the modern world. Excited by the native carvings, he encouraged the Inuit to produce more carvings, and arranged for their art to be shown throughout the world. This provided the Inuit with a means to enter the modern world while preserving their native traditions, using their traditional art as a trade commodity. It would have improved the book if the author had included photos of this art, and a more complete map.
Houston also married and raised two children, lived off the land, traveled for long periods of time by dogsled, made many close Inuit friends, and taught the Inuit printmaking techniques and set up studios to help them further express themselves artistically. His divergent stories of various friends and experiences come together like a beautiful bouquet, a wholistic insider’s view of the Arctic during that time.
January 1, 2016
When I was a teen my Aunt Edith in Toronto got me started on collecting Inuit stone carvings and when she passed away I inherited her collection. Now I know who we can thank for making that possible: James A. Houston. Houston lived in the Canadian Arctic in the fifties and sixties and was instrumental in collecting these art pieces and arranging for the Inuit to be able to trade them for goods they needed.
Houston is relentlessly upbeat--even when he narrowly misses freezing to death he almost makes the experience sound charming. I'm sure there must be a downside to living in a house made of snow in -55º weather, but you won't hear about it from Houston, he has nothing but good things to say. I thoroughly enjoyed his adventures and his deep admiration for the Inuit people comes through on every page.
Houston is relentlessly upbeat--even when he narrowly misses freezing to death he almost makes the experience sound charming. I'm sure there must be a downside to living in a house made of snow in -55º weather, but you won't hear about it from Houston, he has nothing but good things to say. I thoroughly enjoyed his adventures and his deep admiration for the Inuit people comes through on every page.
March 29, 2018
We found this book at a local library book sale. The book was signed by the author and inside there was a list of names taped in with a month written out beside of the names. I am assuming it was part of a book club read or something. Also there were some photocopied magazine articles about James Houston's first wife and Inuit art. I try to read at least two non-fiction books a year and because of all these little things in this book I chose this to be one of my two. I was pleasantly surprised. Each chapter is like a mini story about Mr. Houston's time in the Arctic but they also flow together nicely. This was an intimate look of what Inuit life was like, an intimate look at the Inuit people themselves, and also the art of course. I really enjoyed it. There were many laugh out loud moments within the stories and the last chapter nearly made me cry as Mr. Houston details the moment he leaves the Arctic after being there many years. I am definitely going to try to find other books by this author, I'd love to hear more of the stories from his time spent in the Arctic with the Inuit people.
January 27, 2022
2.5 stars.
Quite a few interesting stories in this collection but not all captured my attention.
Quite a few interesting stories in this collection but not all captured my attention.
March 4, 2012
A really remarkable trip into the Arctic in the 1940s and 50s. A sharp indicator of what has changed for the good -- the power of positive, constructive, collaborative relationships based on respect -- and for the worse. Episodic, jumpy but so visual, visceral and hilarious. Indeed a good read.
May 9, 2019
I came away from this book with the utmost respect and honour for our Inuit peoples. We are presented with a subtle and complex culture and how two people delicately immersed themselves and raised awareness to their artistic strength and ethical values.
February 2, 2020
This was a great, personal story about this author's adventures in the Canadian arctic, on his quest to attain Inuit figurines and art to expose to the world in the 1950's-60's. There were some wild stories in this book, as well as some of the lessons he learned from living among the ice. It was very much like an old man telling his story, but that's what it was, and I liked it. It may not hold the test of time, but it was still interesting hearing about his experience at such a unique time and place in history. Very cool.
February 26, 2018
Really enjoyed James Houston's autobiography of his time living in northern Canada with the Inuit. He embraced the Inuit lifestyle as did his wife who must have been an exceptional woman. Having met his son on a trip to the north this summer, the book held special interest.
This is an easy read and would be interesting for anyone wanting to learn about traditional Inuit life.
This is an easy read and would be interesting for anyone wanting to learn about traditional Inuit life.
December 31, 2017
Gives you a sense of what it was like in the early days. Reading it post-truth and reconciliation times makes it even more important- helps to decolonize one’s perspective... lots of discussions will arise if read as part of a book club.
December 30, 2024
Wonderfully written, respectful and informative with illustrations done by the author.
June 27, 2025
Excellent memoir of a vanished way of life and the difference one man can make in the lives of so many others.
Houston recounts the incredible adventures he had as a young man amongst the Inuit (Eskimos) in the Northwest Territories in Canada between 1948-1962.
He records in great detail their ancient way of life, which was a daily struggle for survival. But it was also an ideal culture in that everyone had the support and respect of every other person in their group. There was virtually no bitter competition since all knew their survival was dependent on their cooperation with each other.
Women had choices and more freedom than many in “modern” societies today. And elders were cherished for their valuable knowledge and experience about all those things life depended on like weather and hunting and fishing.
Houston details the daily life involving dog sleds as the only transportation, the once a year planes which came bearing supplies, mail, and medical personnel, and the unpredictability of the weather.
There is a great deal about animals. Dogs were essential but never (or only very rarely as puppies) treated as pets. The sled dogs were semi-domesticated, being turned loose in summer to fend for (and feed) themselves!
And traditional Inuit food was almost all protein and fat consisting of mostly raw walrus, seals, fish, and birds — no fruits or vegetables — yet people were for the most part very healthy!
Easily one of the most interesting and thought provoking books I have ever read — full of fascinating stories about a completely different way of life. All illustrated by the author.
And because he was himself an artist (trained in Paris, and later in Japan) Houston early recognised the unique beauty of the Inuit carvings and drawings. As agent for the Canadian government he popularized this artwork setting up exhibits and sales, and arranging for publicity all over the world. He was instrumental in setting up the print making facilities which allowed the Inuit to transition to a more stable (if not better) lifestyle.
Most highly recommended.
Houston recounts the incredible adventures he had as a young man amongst the Inuit (Eskimos) in the Northwest Territories in Canada between 1948-1962.
He records in great detail their ancient way of life, which was a daily struggle for survival. But it was also an ideal culture in that everyone had the support and respect of every other person in their group. There was virtually no bitter competition since all knew their survival was dependent on their cooperation with each other.
Women had choices and more freedom than many in “modern” societies today. And elders were cherished for their valuable knowledge and experience about all those things life depended on like weather and hunting and fishing.
Houston details the daily life involving dog sleds as the only transportation, the once a year planes which came bearing supplies, mail, and medical personnel, and the unpredictability of the weather.
There is a great deal about animals. Dogs were essential but never (or only very rarely as puppies) treated as pets. The sled dogs were semi-domesticated, being turned loose in summer to fend for (and feed) themselves!
And traditional Inuit food was almost all protein and fat consisting of mostly raw walrus, seals, fish, and birds — no fruits or vegetables — yet people were for the most part very healthy!
Easily one of the most interesting and thought provoking books I have ever read — full of fascinating stories about a completely different way of life. All illustrated by the author.
And because he was himself an artist (trained in Paris, and later in Japan) Houston early recognised the unique beauty of the Inuit carvings and drawings. As agent for the Canadian government he popularized this artwork setting up exhibits and sales, and arranging for publicity all over the world. He was instrumental in setting up the print making facilities which allowed the Inuit to transition to a more stable (if not better) lifestyle.
Most highly recommended.
October 30, 2016
Although it's been at least 10 years since I read this book, I loved this collection of short stories, which together represent a memoir of James Houston's actual life in the Arctic. He arrives as a young artist, joining a pilot to help with an emergency in the north and ends up surrounded by confident, smiling, Inuit people who find him and his sketches as fascinating as he finds them. Although neither he nor they speak each other's language, he decides to stay and ends up spending nearly 15 years in the north, and helps develop their Inuit art industry. Perhaps art was in fact the language they did have in common. His writing is filled with humour, such as the story wherein he suddenly falls through the snow and finds himself sitting on the floor of an igloo, face-to-face with a smiling, and surprised, elderly woman. There is beauty, hardship, and most of all love for the north and the people who live there. I can't wait to read it again. As a bonus, the copy I read had some of his sketches, including the beautiful cover.
April 20, 2013
A remarkable book by a remarkable man. Funny, poignant, hugely informative. His achievements are legendary.
November 2, 2013
The story of the man who brought Inuit art to the outside world.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews