Inuit Navigation, Empirical Reasoning and Survival

• Published in: Journal of Navigation
• Main Author: Irwin, Colin
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1985
• Subjects: Ocean Engineering; Oceanography; Arctic; inuit; North West Passage
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0373463300031271; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0373463300031271

In order to navigate and thereby survive in a hostile environment the Inuit have developed a sophisticated body of knowledge that makes travel possible even during a blizzard or white-out. This unique skill was developed from a thorough understanding of the properties of snow and local meteorology. Problems of space, time and distance are also taken into account by Inuit navigators but this is done with minimal use of quantification and abstraction. However this highly practical form of navigation in which the Inuit deal directly with their environment is none the less scientific and empirical. In 1971 the author attempted a single-handed sailing of the North West Passage and in 1973 completed a crossing of Arctic North America by dog team.