The Wild Man of the Arctic in Charles Francis Hall’s Expedition Narratives

Record summary

Charles Francis Hall’s accounts of his Arctic expeditions discuss Inuit traditions concerning the Tornit or Tunit, often translated as powerful or ancient “wild people” associated with earlier inhabitants and remote places. The material is important for comparing legendary beings with oral histories of migration, ruins and encounters with outsiders. Hall’s books are nineteenth-century expedition narratives, not neutral ethnographies, and his spellings and interpretations reflect translation through informants and English-language expectations. The identity and cultural meaning of the Tornit vary across Inuit communities and should be investigated locally.