Purpose and Function

Arctic Recipes_001.jpg

At face value this pamphlet was created to inform those living in the southern portions of Canada about cuisine and life in the north. But through further investigation at the historical context of the time it seems as if the pamphlet was created as more of a joke at the expense of the Inuit peoples and their cuisine. At the beginning of each recipe there is small anecdote that is supposed to humour the reader but when looking into the deeper meaning it seems as if the writer is mocking and almost trying to illegitimize the cuisine of the Inuit peoples. In our present day this piece of culinary ephemera is useful in receiving historical context on the treatment of Inuit peoples during the time of assimilation in Canada. This would not be a useful piece if a historian was trying to learn more about inuit culture because of the prejudice that riddled the government at the time of this pamphlets creation.

 

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