A new exhibition
at the British Museum spotlights an ingenious way of life threatened
by global warming
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Kiliii Yuyan, Umiaq and
north wind during spring whaling, 2019 (© Kiliii Yuyan)
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Imagine an icy
winter with temperatures below -30 degrees Fahrenheit. Animals
migrate south en masse, the days grow dark as the sun hangs low
on the horizon and snow lingers on the ground for months.
For the 400,000 Indigenous people living in the Arctic, this scenario
reflects the reality of life in one of the worlds harshest
climates. To survive in this environment, residents have had to
get creativea fact exemplified by the British Museums
latest exhibition, Arctic:
Climate and Culture.
Per the London museums website,
the showcreated in direct collaboration with Arctic communitieshighlights
Indigenous peoples ingenuity through artifacts
including a centuries-old sealskin whaling suit, brightly beaded
snow goggles and a wolverine furlined parka. In addition to
presenting examples of Arctic cultures resilience, the exhibition
places a stark focus on ice loss, erratic weather and other effects
of climate
change that threaten
Indigenous communities way of life.
As Jonathan Jones writes for the Guardian,
one of the around 280
items featured in Arctic: Climate and Culture is
a 16th-century
drawing of a warmly dressed Inuit
woman holding her baby, who peeks out through a small opening
in the hood. A nearby video shows how Arctic women use similar parka
hoods to carry children today. The juxtaposition is striking, helping
viewers understand why such objects have a prevailing usefulness.
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A a seal gut parka
by Flora Nanuk (19252004) Yupiit; Hooper Bay, Alaska;
1980s
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Childs all-in-one
suit made of caribou fur, 1980s
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John White, drawing
of Anraq and her baby Nutaaq, 15851593
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The artifacts on view are rooted in tens of thousands of years
of history. According to a British Museum blog
post, recent archaeological finds testify to a Paleolithic settlement
established near the Yana River in northeastern Siberia some 30,000
years ago. The sites prehistoric residents hunted megafauna
such as woolly mammoths and created bone
and ivory artifacts, including weapons, sewing needles and bowls.
Per a statement,
a recurring theme of the exhibition is Arctic peoples transformation
of traditional heritage to meet contemporary needs and safeguard
their culture.
Reviewing the show for the Evening
Standard, Nancy Durrant points out that the regions
Indigenous inhabitants have evolved their way of life over
30,000 years in harmony with the seasons and the flora and fauna
with which they share this vast expanse.
Though the specifics of these ecological interactions have changed
over time, the basic premise remains the same, she adds: They
kill [animals], but they respect and sustain them.
To make the most of scarce resources, Arctic peoples use every
bit of the animals they hunt, transforming narwhal and caribou bones
into sleds,
salmon skin into bags, and seal guts into waterproof parkas.
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Sledge made of
bone, ivory, sealskin and driftwood; Inughuit, Baffin Bay,
North Greenland; 1818
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Womans hat
or ládjogahpir, Sámi, Norway; wool, horn, cotton
and silk; pre-1919
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[D]espite the foreboding we feel when we think about the
Arctic, here is a heartening encounter with a radical alternative
to modern living, writes Jones for the Guardian.
Everybody makes stuff. Everyday objects are turned into things of
beauty and magic.
Climate change is an ever-present specter in Arctic: Climate
and Change. One display detailed by the Evening Standard visualizes
how quickly sea ice is melting. Other immersive photographs of the
regions contemporary landscape show viewers exactly
what we stand to lose, in the words of National
Geographics Gail Tolley.
The Arctic is warming at a rate of almost twice the global average,
according to the World
Wildlife Fund. Between 2018 and 2020, the Geological
Survey of Denmark and Greenland reported in September, the regions
largest ice shelf shrank by almost double the size of Manhattan.
Per the British
Museum, scientists predict that the Arctic will be ice-free
in the next 80 years.
But the exhibition doesnt focus solely on the devastating
effects of climate change; instead, it strikes a surprisingly optimistic
tone, outlining a novel approach to contemporary living.
The show directly addresses the essential question of how
humans can live with the impacts of extreme weather, says
the museums director, Hartwig Fischer, in the statement. The
future and past come together in the present, united by the shared
experiences of Arctic peoples.
Arctic:
Climate and Culture is on view at the British Museum
in London through February 21, 2021.
Isis Davis-Marks is a freelance writer and artist based in New
York City. Her work has also appeared in Artsy, the Columbia Journal,
and elsewhere. Website: isisdavismarks.com
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