The Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) is often associated with Canada; this company started off as a fur trading business and currently operates as a transnational retail store. A recent HBC commercial portraying Dr. John Rae, a Scottish surgeon who explored Arctic Canada with the help of the Inuit peoples, was released with narration by Les Stroud, a famous Canadian survivor-man. Viewer’s reactions to the commercial have been mixed, with some comments on the YouTube video praising the “Inuit being accurately portrayed” while some believe it is a celebration of colonialism, questioning “how can one group of people claim to have discovered something that the locals knew existed.” Arguably, this historical representation allows for white men’s fantasy
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Indeed, Dr. John Rae did travel to the Arctic multiple time and did get help from Inuit people. However, John Rae did not discover the Arctic nor the fate of the Franklin expedition. John Rae was employed by the Hudson’s Bay Company as a ship’s surgeon originally and later worked as a doctor at the Moose Factory. Additionally, Rae learned greatly from Cree women surrounding the area. Ultimately, Dr. John Rae lead many expeditions in an attempt to find the Northwest Passage, with many ending with failure. Yet, through each failed attempt, John learnt skills from the Inuit and even employed some Indigenous peoples for his explorations; additionally, he is credited with being the first European explorer to wear Inuit clothing (Wilson 48) and harnessed dogs. Nevertheless, many Europeans had an alternative viewpoint about Indigenous people because they are “savages” and regarded them with no respect at all. For his deviant opinion, Rae’s reputation suffered slightly. During one of his expeditions near Pelly Bay, John met an Inuit wearing English gold band who told him that he received it in a trade with another Inuit. As a result, Rae told the Inuit that he would buy any other artifacts that they found in hopes of finding out what happened to Sir John Franklin and his men. When John Rae reached Repulse Bay, he found out from the Inuit about their discovery of dead explorers from 4 winters ago, who happened to be Franklin and his crew. Due to the approaching winter, Rae (with his relics and the oral stories told by the Inuit as proof) chose to go back to Britain to relay the information he found. Nonetheless, the information was controversial; there is evidence that the some of the crew resorted to cannibalism in an attempt to survive. Instead of being met for praise, John Rae was heavily criticized for trusting the “unsupported stories of
Indeed, Dr. John Rae did travel to the Arctic multiple time and did get help from Inuit people. However, John Rae did not discover the Arctic nor the fate of the Franklin expedition. John Rae was employed by the Hudson’s Bay Company as a ship’s surgeon originally and later worked as a doctor at the Moose Factory. Additionally, Rae learned greatly from Cree women surrounding the area. Ultimately, Dr. John Rae lead many expeditions in an attempt to find the Northwest Passage, with many ending with failure. Yet, through each failed attempt, John learnt skills from the Inuit and even employed some Indigenous peoples for his explorations; additionally, he is credited with being the first European explorer to wear Inuit clothing (Wilson 48) and harnessed dogs. Nevertheless, many Europeans had an alternative viewpoint about Indigenous people because they are “savages” and regarded them with no respect at all. For his deviant opinion, Rae’s reputation suffered slightly. During one of his expeditions near Pelly Bay, John met an Inuit wearing English gold band who told him that he received it in a trade with another Inuit. As a result, Rae told the Inuit that he would buy any other artifacts that they found in hopes of finding out what happened to Sir John Franklin and his men. When John Rae reached Repulse Bay, he found out from the Inuit about their discovery of dead explorers from 4 winters ago, who happened to be Franklin and his crew. Due to the approaching winter, Rae (with his relics and the oral stories told by the Inuit as proof) chose to go back to Britain to relay the information he found. Nonetheless, the information was controversial; there is evidence that the some of the crew resorted to cannibalism in an attempt to survive. Instead of being met for praise, John Rae was heavily criticized for trusting the “unsupported stories of