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Machetanz (Frederick and Sara)Eskimos: Winter in Western Alaska (1950)

Typical activities of Alaskan Eskimo life throughout a long winter.


This movie is part of the collection: Prelinger Archives

Producer: Machetanz (Frederick and Sara)
Sponsor: N/A
Audio/Visual: Sd, C
Keywords: Arctic: Peoples

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

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Reviewer: enola - - May 3, 2009
Subject: Innacuracies abound but still should make us think
Regardless of your opinion about the accuracy of this short, one fact is effectively conveyed - life is harsh for the indigenous people of Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. Food and other supplies must be stockpiled whenever weather permits. I find it amusing that First Peoples are targeted by some as wasting resources and overpopulating our Earth, when in fact Native Americans waste virtually nothing. Even bones, teeth, and baleen are carved during free time to trade for goods, supplies, and cash. Want to think overpopulation and waste? Look to change our cities first.

Reviewer: pheret - - January 21, 2008
Subject: eskimos: winter in western alaska
u know, i wish we could gather all these films that are so WRONG about cultures and pull out how ACCURATE they are about human nature!

no matter WHO we are, we OVERFISH, OVERKILL, OVERBREED, the aztecs, the "eskimos", the native americans driving buffalo over cliffs, easter islanders, on and on.

the ONLY reason we survived stripping our earth then was because there were only like a million of us. people, we really need to stop breeding.

and like these people would sleep on a log? with all that fluffy fur around? the makers of these movies don't think very logically! :D

Reviewer: Christine Hennig - - February 14, 2006
Subject: Eskimos on Ice
This Encyclopedia Britannica film from the 50s shows us the lifestyle and traditional ways of an Eskimo family in western Alaska. Its pretty interesting, actually, covering such things as ice fishing, trapping, melting blocks of ice for water, and Mother hanging out the wash in 30-degree-below-zero weather. Unfortunately, the seal hunt was cut off for some reason. A reviewer on the Prelinger Archive who seems to know about Eskimos claims that this was not at all a realistic portrayal of their way of life during the 50s, but its fun to watch anyway.
Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: **. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ***.

Reviewer: 2muchtv - - August 1, 2004
Subject: Well... not quite
Made in the spirit of "Nanook of the North," unfortunately almost entirely false. As a frequent visitor to Unalakleet, I can tell you with great certainty that life in Unalakleet in 1950 was completely different from this film's depiction. While Native Americans on the west coast of Alaska still make and wear animal hide clothing to this day, it is only for fun, ceremony and certain specialized hunting activities. These items have not been 'every day' wear as depicted in this film since the 1930s. Staged in every way, this film uses careful editing and very limited camera shots to convey a false image of so-called "eskimo" life. The one word names in the film are also an inaccurate representation of the practices of the time, as Native Americans in Alaska have been using a Westernized name convention since the turn of the century. It's likely that the seal hunt portion of the film was removed in the mid 1960s by those sensitive to animal rights issues. It's too bad we also lost the "eskimo" dance portion of the film, as this would have been one of the high points of this otherwise dreadfully trite film.

Reviewer: Spuzz - - May 1, 2003
Subject: Nooooo!!!
This is quite an engrossing little movie that seemed to have a BAD edit at the end, keeping us in suspense. This is the documentation of a typical Eskimo family surviving in Western Alaska. We see how the women cook, the children learn, and most fascinatingly, how the men hunt. ingenious ways of trapping fish are shown. Soon, the father of the family goes out to hunt for a seal, he puts his boat into the water and the narrator says "But Look!" and the film ends with a "The End!" (This is actually quite amusing) What happens? Did he catch a seal? We may NEVER KNOW...

Shotlist

Typical activities of Alaskan Eskimo life throughout a long winter. Depicts the Eskimo's dependence upon fish as a food supply and illustrates methods of obtaining fish. Portrays food, clothing, and household activities and shows methods of keeping warm. Reveals dangers incident to a seal hunt and ends with an authentic Eskimo dance.

02:08:52 - Eskimo man going out alone in canoe on icy water