"To Make These Tribes Understand": The Trial of Alikomiak and Tatamigana
Alikomiak and Tatamigana were the first Inuit tried and executed for murder under Canadian law. The case was the third in a series of killings of outsiders by Inuit in the western Arctic which had begun in 1912; the first two had resulted in more lenient treatment. The trial of these two men, which...
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The Arctic Institute of North America
1998
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Online Access: | https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/64119 |
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ftunivcalgaryojs:oai:journalhosting.ucalgary.ca:article/64119 2023-05-15T14:19:09+02:00 "To Make These Tribes Understand": The Trial of Alikomiak and Tatamigana Coates, K.S. Morrison, W.R. 1998-01-01 application/pdf https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/64119 eng eng The Arctic Institute of North America https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/64119/48054 https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/64119 ARCTIC; Vol. 51 No. 3 (1998): September: 201–300; 220-230 1923-1245 0004-0843 Alikomiak Tatamigana law enforcement sovereignty Inuit application de la loi souveraineté info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion research-article 1998 ftunivcalgaryojs 2022-03-22T21:21:19Z Alikomiak and Tatamigana were the first Inuit tried and executed for murder under Canadian law. The case was the third in a series of killings of outsiders by Inuit in the western Arctic which had begun in 1912; the first two had resulted in more lenient treatment. The trial of these two men, which took place in the summer of 1923, was in the nature of a show trial, designed by the federal government to show the Inuit that the authorities would no longer tolerate such acts of violence. It was also meant to be a demonstration to the world of Canada's sovereign rights in the Arctic, rights which had an uncertain foundation in international law. The conviction and execution of Alikomiak and Tatamigana caused controversy at the time; sentiment for clemency was based on claims (made then and subsequently) that Inuit were simple and primitive, and did not understand the principle of execution for murder. It is asserted here, however, that the sentence was entirely in keeping with Inuit custom, and that alternatives to execution suggested by those with better knowledge of the North were in some ways even harsher than capital punishment. Extracts from the capital case file and the transcripts of the trial make these points clear. Alikomiak et Tatamigana ont été les premiers Inuit poursuivis en justice et exécutés pour meurtre en vertu de la loi canadienne. Cette cause était la troisième d'une série de meurtres d'étrangers commis par les Inuit dans l'Arctique occidental, série qui avait débuté en 1912; les deux premiers meurtres avaient abouti à un traitement moins sévère. Le procès de ces deux hommes, qui eut lieu durant l'été de 1923, avait quelque chose d'un procès de justification, conçu par le gouvernement fédéral pour montrer aux Inuit que les autorités ne toléreraient pas plus longtemps de tels actes de violence. Il devait également confirmer au monde entier la souveraineté du Canada dans l'Arctique, souveraineté qui n'avait pas un fondement bien solide dans le droit international. À l'époque, l'accusation et l'exécution d'Alikomiak et de Tatamigana suscitèrent une controverse; les partisans de la clémence affirmèrent (à ce moment-là et par la suite) que les Inuit étaient des êtres simples et primitifs, et qu'ils ne comprenaient pas le principe d'exécution pour meurtre. On soutient ici, cependant, que la sentence était tout à fait conforme aux coutumes inuit, et que les solutions autres que l'exécution suggérées par ceux ayant une meilleure connaissance du Nord étaient sous certains aspects plus dures que la peine de mort. Des extraits d'archives du procès capital et les transcriptions de la cause font la clarté sur ces divers points. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Arctic inuit University of Calgary Journal Hosting Arctic Canada Peine ENVELOPE(-54.683,-54.683,-63.417,-63.417) ARCTIC 51 3 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of Calgary Journal Hosting |
op_collection_id |
ftunivcalgaryojs |
language |
English |
topic |
Alikomiak Tatamigana law enforcement sovereignty Inuit application de la loi souveraineté |
spellingShingle |
Alikomiak Tatamigana law enforcement sovereignty Inuit application de la loi souveraineté Coates, K.S. Morrison, W.R. "To Make These Tribes Understand": The Trial of Alikomiak and Tatamigana |
topic_facet |
Alikomiak Tatamigana law enforcement sovereignty Inuit application de la loi souveraineté |
description |
Alikomiak and Tatamigana were the first Inuit tried and executed for murder under Canadian law. The case was the third in a series of killings of outsiders by Inuit in the western Arctic which had begun in 1912; the first two had resulted in more lenient treatment. The trial of these two men, which took place in the summer of 1923, was in the nature of a show trial, designed by the federal government to show the Inuit that the authorities would no longer tolerate such acts of violence. It was also meant to be a demonstration to the world of Canada's sovereign rights in the Arctic, rights which had an uncertain foundation in international law. The conviction and execution of Alikomiak and Tatamigana caused controversy at the time; sentiment for clemency was based on claims (made then and subsequently) that Inuit were simple and primitive, and did not understand the principle of execution for murder. It is asserted here, however, that the sentence was entirely in keeping with Inuit custom, and that alternatives to execution suggested by those with better knowledge of the North were in some ways even harsher than capital punishment. Extracts from the capital case file and the transcripts of the trial make these points clear. Alikomiak et Tatamigana ont été les premiers Inuit poursuivis en justice et exécutés pour meurtre en vertu de la loi canadienne. Cette cause était la troisième d'une série de meurtres d'étrangers commis par les Inuit dans l'Arctique occidental, série qui avait débuté en 1912; les deux premiers meurtres avaient abouti à un traitement moins sévère. Le procès de ces deux hommes, qui eut lieu durant l'été de 1923, avait quelque chose d'un procès de justification, conçu par le gouvernement fédéral pour montrer aux Inuit que les autorités ne toléreraient pas plus longtemps de tels actes de violence. Il devait également confirmer au monde entier la souveraineté du Canada dans l'Arctique, souveraineté qui n'avait pas un fondement bien solide dans le droit international. À l'époque, l'accusation et l'exécution d'Alikomiak et de Tatamigana suscitèrent une controverse; les partisans de la clémence affirmèrent (à ce moment-là et par la suite) que les Inuit étaient des êtres simples et primitifs, et qu'ils ne comprenaient pas le principe d'exécution pour meurtre. On soutient ici, cependant, que la sentence était tout à fait conforme aux coutumes inuit, et que les solutions autres que l'exécution suggérées par ceux ayant une meilleure connaissance du Nord étaient sous certains aspects plus dures que la peine de mort. Des extraits d'archives du procès capital et les transcriptions de la cause font la clarté sur ces divers points. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Coates, K.S. Morrison, W.R. |
author_facet |
Coates, K.S. Morrison, W.R. |
author_sort |
Coates, K.S. |
title |
"To Make These Tribes Understand": The Trial of Alikomiak and Tatamigana |
title_short |
"To Make These Tribes Understand": The Trial of Alikomiak and Tatamigana |
title_full |
"To Make These Tribes Understand": The Trial of Alikomiak and Tatamigana |
title_fullStr |
"To Make These Tribes Understand": The Trial of Alikomiak and Tatamigana |
title_full_unstemmed |
"To Make These Tribes Understand": The Trial of Alikomiak and Tatamigana |
title_sort |
"to make these tribes understand": the trial of alikomiak and tatamigana |
publisher |
The Arctic Institute of North America |
publishDate |
1998 |
url |
https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/64119 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-54.683,-54.683,-63.417,-63.417) |
geographic |
Arctic Canada Peine |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Canada Peine |
genre |
Arctic Arctic inuit |
genre_facet |
Arctic Arctic inuit |
op_source |
ARCTIC; Vol. 51 No. 3 (1998): September: 201–300; 220-230 1923-1245 0004-0843 |
op_relation |
https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/64119/48054 https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/64119 |
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ARCTIC |
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51 |
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3 |
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