Eskimo Quotes

“Yes, you are Eskimo," he had said. "And never forget it. We live as no other people can, for we truly understand the earth.”
― Jean Craighead George, Julie of the Wolves

“Apropos of Eskimo, I once heard a missionary describe the extraordinary difficulty he had found in translating the Bible into Eskimo. It was useless to talk of corn or wine to a people who did not know even what they meant, so he had to use equivalents within their powers of comprehension. Thus in the Eskimo version of the Scriptures the miracle of Cana of Galilee is described as turning the water into blubber; the 8th verse of the 5th chapter of the First Epistle of St. Peter ran: ‘Your adversary the devil, as a roaring Polar bear walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.’ In the same way ‘A land flowing with milk and honey’ became ‘A land flowing with whale’s blubber,’ and throughout the New Testament the words ‘Lamb of God’ had to be translated ‘little Seal of God,’ as the nearest possible equivalent. The missionary added that his converts had the lowest opinion of Jonah for not having utilised his exceptional opportunities by killing and eating the whale.”
― Frederick Hamilton, The Days Before Yesterday

“What are you? From where did you come? I have never seen anything like you.” The Creator Raven looked at Man and was  …   surprised to find that this strange new being was so much like himself.”
― Eskimo creation myth

“Je veux visiter
une femme étrangère.
Je veux deviner des énigmes
dans l'homme.
Je délie les courroies de mes bottes,
je cherche dans l'homme et
je cherche dans la femme,
je fais disparaître les rides des femmes.”
― Anonyme

“Hvad enten man i mange punkter deler mit syn eller ikke, om jeg end ikke finder alt bestaaende saare godt, og selv om jeg skulde vise den svaghed at føle sorg over et synkende folk, som kanske ikke staar til at redde, da det allerede er stukket af vor civilisations giftige braad, saa trøster jeg mig med, at det ikke kan forværre dette folks kaar, og haaber, man vil opfatte mine bemerkninger i samme aand, som de er skrevne.”
― Fridtjof Nansen, Eskimoliv