A Methodological Reconsideration of Early English-Indigenous Communication in Sixteenth Century Northeastern America
In August 1576 five men serving the Elizabethan explorer Martin Frobisher disappeared following an Inuk guide at Baffin Island. Over the next two years the English tried various methods of communication with the Inuit – including miming, drawing, writing and kidnapping “interpreters” – but were unab...
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1974/26529 |
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ftqueensuniv:oai:https://qspace.library.queensu.ca:1974/26529 2024-06-02T08:03:50+00:00 A Methodological Reconsideration of Early English-Indigenous Communication in Sixteenth Century Northeastern America Renaud, Tabitha History Errington, Jane 2019-09-06T18:20:57Z application/pdf http://hdl.handle.net/1974/26529 eng eng Canadian theses http://hdl.handle.net/1974/26529 Queen's University's Thesis/Dissertation Non-Exclusive License for Deposit to QSpace and Library and Archives Canada ProQuest PhD and Master's Theses International Dissemination Agreement Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University Copying and Preserving Your Thesis This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner. early encounters sixteenth century explorers indigenous peoples north america england elizabethan martin frobisher john davis roanoke carolina algonquin communication miming nonverbal communication manual signs interpreters exploration colonization richard grenville ralph lane thomas hariot meta incognita south baffin inuit greenland inuit norse northwest passage first contact intercultural contact atlantic world early americas richard hakluyt the principal navigations explorer journals expedition narratives first peoples Inuit First Nations Outer Banks of North Carolina john white arthur barlowe pemisapan granganimeo wingina manteo wanchese thesis 2019 ftqueensuniv 2024-05-06T10:47:32Z In August 1576 five men serving the Elizabethan explorer Martin Frobisher disappeared following an Inuk guide at Baffin Island. Over the next two years the English tried various methods of communication with the Inuit – including miming, drawing, writing and kidnapping “interpreters” – but were unable to recover their lost men or even learn their fate. During this frustrating period English-Inuit relations deteriorated steadily from friendliness to bloodshed. Frobisher’s experiences with the South Baffin Inuit illustrate how limited communication could be between European explorers and Indigenous peoples during early contact and offer a unique glimpse at the mechanics of how this nonverbal communication functioned. Despite its centrality to understanding early contact, studies specifically focused on the initial experiments with nonverbal communication are rare. Many historians gloss over the subject, assuming miming occurred and that little can be discerned about this process. However, a close reading of certain explorer narratives reveals descriptions of how these makeshift exchanges took place. These texts also indicate the types of assumptions made by communicators when creating and interpreting messages and the preconceived notions that produced such assumptions. This dissertation examines communication in three English ventures in sixteenth century Northeastern America: The Frobisher Encounters with the South Baffin Inuit (1576-8), The Davis Encounters with the Greenland Inuit (1585-7) and the Roanoke Encounters with the Carolina Algonquin (1584-7). This study will serve as a point of departure for researchers to consider the uncertainties surrounding early communication and the implications this has for both methodological approaches and traditional historiographical interpretations. PhD Thesis Baffin Island Baffin First Nations Greenland inuit Northwest passage Queen's University, Ontario: QSpace Baffin Island Greenland Northwest Passage |
| institution |
Open Polar |
| collection |
Queen's University, Ontario: QSpace |
| op_collection_id |
ftqueensuniv |
| language |
English |
| topic |
early encounters sixteenth century explorers indigenous peoples north america england elizabethan martin frobisher john davis roanoke carolina algonquin communication miming nonverbal communication manual signs interpreters exploration colonization richard grenville ralph lane thomas hariot meta incognita south baffin inuit greenland inuit norse northwest passage first contact intercultural contact atlantic world early americas richard hakluyt the principal navigations explorer journals expedition narratives first peoples Inuit First Nations Outer Banks of North Carolina john white arthur barlowe pemisapan granganimeo wingina manteo wanchese |
| spellingShingle |
early encounters sixteenth century explorers indigenous peoples north america england elizabethan martin frobisher john davis roanoke carolina algonquin communication miming nonverbal communication manual signs interpreters exploration colonization richard grenville ralph lane thomas hariot meta incognita south baffin inuit greenland inuit norse northwest passage first contact intercultural contact atlantic world early americas richard hakluyt the principal navigations explorer journals expedition narratives first peoples Inuit First Nations Outer Banks of North Carolina john white arthur barlowe pemisapan granganimeo wingina manteo wanchese Renaud, Tabitha A Methodological Reconsideration of Early English-Indigenous Communication in Sixteenth Century Northeastern America |
| topic_facet |
early encounters sixteenth century explorers indigenous peoples north america england elizabethan martin frobisher john davis roanoke carolina algonquin communication miming nonverbal communication manual signs interpreters exploration colonization richard grenville ralph lane thomas hariot meta incognita south baffin inuit greenland inuit norse northwest passage first contact intercultural contact atlantic world early americas richard hakluyt the principal navigations explorer journals expedition narratives first peoples Inuit First Nations Outer Banks of North Carolina john white arthur barlowe pemisapan granganimeo wingina manteo wanchese |
| description |
In August 1576 five men serving the Elizabethan explorer Martin Frobisher disappeared following an Inuk guide at Baffin Island. Over the next two years the English tried various methods of communication with the Inuit – including miming, drawing, writing and kidnapping “interpreters” – but were unable to recover their lost men or even learn their fate. During this frustrating period English-Inuit relations deteriorated steadily from friendliness to bloodshed. Frobisher’s experiences with the South Baffin Inuit illustrate how limited communication could be between European explorers and Indigenous peoples during early contact and offer a unique glimpse at the mechanics of how this nonverbal communication functioned. Despite its centrality to understanding early contact, studies specifically focused on the initial experiments with nonverbal communication are rare. Many historians gloss over the subject, assuming miming occurred and that little can be discerned about this process. However, a close reading of certain explorer narratives reveals descriptions of how these makeshift exchanges took place. These texts also indicate the types of assumptions made by communicators when creating and interpreting messages and the preconceived notions that produced such assumptions. This dissertation examines communication in three English ventures in sixteenth century Northeastern America: The Frobisher Encounters with the South Baffin Inuit (1576-8), The Davis Encounters with the Greenland Inuit (1585-7) and the Roanoke Encounters with the Carolina Algonquin (1584-7). This study will serve as a point of departure for researchers to consider the uncertainties surrounding early communication and the implications this has for both methodological approaches and traditional historiographical interpretations. PhD |
| author2 |
History Errington, Jane |
| format |
Thesis |
| author |
Renaud, Tabitha |
| author_facet |
Renaud, Tabitha |
| author_sort |
Renaud, Tabitha |
| title |
A Methodological Reconsideration of Early English-Indigenous Communication in Sixteenth Century Northeastern America |
| title_short |
A Methodological Reconsideration of Early English-Indigenous Communication in Sixteenth Century Northeastern America |
| title_full |
A Methodological Reconsideration of Early English-Indigenous Communication in Sixteenth Century Northeastern America |
| title_fullStr |
A Methodological Reconsideration of Early English-Indigenous Communication in Sixteenth Century Northeastern America |
| title_full_unstemmed |
A Methodological Reconsideration of Early English-Indigenous Communication in Sixteenth Century Northeastern America |
| title_sort |
methodological reconsideration of early english-indigenous communication in sixteenth century northeastern america |
| publishDate |
2019 |
| url |
http://hdl.handle.net/1974/26529 |
| geographic |
Baffin Island Greenland Northwest Passage |
| geographic_facet |
Baffin Island Greenland Northwest Passage |
| genre |
Baffin Island Baffin First Nations Greenland inuit Northwest passage |
| genre_facet |
Baffin Island Baffin First Nations Greenland inuit Northwest passage |
| op_relation |
Canadian theses http://hdl.handle.net/1974/26529 |
| op_rights |
Queen's University's Thesis/Dissertation Non-Exclusive License for Deposit to QSpace and Library and Archives Canada ProQuest PhD and Master's Theses International Dissemination Agreement Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University Copying and Preserving Your Thesis This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner. |
| _version_ |
1800748449982840832 |