NCJ Number
141278
Date Published
1989
Length
95 pages
Annotation
This historical examination of the 1917 murder trials of Sinnisiak and Uluksuk, the first Inuit tried under the colonial white man's law, focuses on the political aims of the trial.
Abstract
In 1913, two Roman Catholic priests, who were attempting an initial missionary visit to the Coppermine in northern Canada, disappeared without a trace; 2 years later, after a prolonged and painstaking search, members of the Royal North West Mounted Police arrested two Inuit hunters, Sinnisiak and Uluksuk; more than a year later they were brought to trial in Edmonton, Alberta, under the jurisdiction of British law and courts. The first trial ended in a "not guilty" verdict; following charges of jury tampering and a change of venue, Sinnisiak and Uluksuk were found guilty by a Calgary jury. The nature of these trials make this case an important chapter in the history of Canada's cultural development. The point of the trials was not primarily to bring Sinnisiak and Uluksuk to justice, but rather to impress upon the whole Inuit nation that their behavior toward the white man would be judged and sanctioned under the white man's law. The two defendants served 2 years in a minimum-security facility, where they were model prisoners; upon release, they returned to their own region. The hope was that their example would deter their fellow Inuit from similar behavior. Apparently, this goal was not achieved, since crimes of violence continued among the Inuit, both against whites and other Inuit. Although the trials had no significant deterrent effect, they marked a significant step in the process of neo-colonialism and the disintegration of the Copper Inuit's culture. Chapter notes and a 17-item bibliography