Dorothy Harley Eber
Encyclopedia
Dorothy Harley Eber, is a Canadian author and one of the first people to transcribe and publish oral histories
of Inuit
people in Nunavut
in both English and Inuktitut
. She has devoted much of her life to preserving the history of the Inuit people. In the 1970s, she was one of the first writers to record their oral history on tape. She then completed the first oral biography of an Inuk, Pitseolak Ashoona, based on first hand accounts. Printed in both English and Inuktitut, it is said that Pitseolak: Pictures out of my Life was the first book, after the Bible
, to be published in the Inuit language
. Her multiple other works, including films and exhibitions, as well as her written material, have provided Canadians with a better understanding of Inuit culture
. She is invited regularly to present at museums and cultural institutions worldwide, international conferences, and has contributed articles to international journals. She has served on committees to judge annual Inuit art
competitions.
of Welsh
and Nova Scotia
n parentage and spent her early childhood in Wales and England. She attended schools in Wales, England, Ontario
and Nova Scotia and is a graduate of the University of Toronto
. After graduation she worked as a reporter and in 1968 made her first trip to the Arctic
to the community of Cape Dorset, famous for its Inuit artists. She returned in 1970 to do interviews with the graphic artist
Pitseolak Ashoona. The book, with Ashoona's drawings and prints, was published the next year and has never been out of print. Since that time she has undertaken many more interview projects in the North. Tapes for her interviews are deposited in the Canadian Museum of Civilization
, Ottawa
. Over two summers, she also interviewed many elderly residents of Baddeck
, Nova Scotia, who worked with Alexander Graham Bell
on the hydrofoil
and the tetrahedral kite
s which he developed there after the telephone made him famous. Her book Genius at Work: Images of Alexander Graham Bell was published in 1982 by The Viking Press
, New York and later by Nimbus
, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Oral history
Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews...
of Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
people in Nunavut
Nunavut
Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
in both English and Inuktitut
Inuktitut
Inuktitut or Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, Eastern Canadian Inuit language is the name of some of the Inuit languages spoken in Canada...
. She has devoted much of her life to preserving the history of the Inuit people. In the 1970s, she was one of the first writers to record their oral history on tape. She then completed the first oral biography of an Inuk, Pitseolak Ashoona, based on first hand accounts. Printed in both English and Inuktitut, it is said that Pitseolak: Pictures out of my Life was the first book, after the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, to be published in the Inuit language
Inuit language
The Inuit language is traditionally spoken across the North American Arctic and to some extent in the subarctic in Labrador. The related Yupik languages are spoken in western and southern Alaska and Russian Far East, particularly the Diomede Islands, but is severely endangered in Russia today and...
. Her multiple other works, including films and exhibitions, as well as her written material, have provided Canadians with a better understanding of Inuit culture
Inuit culture
Inuit describes the various groups of indigenous peoples who live in the central and northeastern Canadian Arctic, as well as in Greenland. The term culture of the Inuit, therefore, refers primarily to these areas; however, parallels to other Eskimo groups can also be drawn.The traditional...
. She is invited regularly to present at museums and cultural institutions worldwide, international conferences, and has contributed articles to international journals. She has served on committees to judge annual Inuit art
Inuit art
Inuit art refers to artwork produced by Inuit people, that is, the people of the Arctic previously known as Eskimos, a term that is now often considered offensive outside Alaska...
competitions.
Biography
Eber was born in EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
of Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
n parentage and spent her early childhood in Wales and England. She attended schools in Wales, England, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
and Nova Scotia and is a graduate of the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
. After graduation she worked as a reporter and in 1968 made her first trip to the Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
to the community of Cape Dorset, famous for its Inuit artists. She returned in 1970 to do interviews with the graphic artist
Graphic arts
A type of fine art, graphic art covers a broad range of art forms. Graphic art is typically two-dimensional and includes calligraphy, photography, drawing, painting, printmaking, lithography, typography, serigraphy , and bindery. Graphic art also consists of drawn plans and layouts for interior...
Pitseolak Ashoona. The book, with Ashoona's drawings and prints, was published the next year and has never been out of print. Since that time she has undertaken many more interview projects in the North. Tapes for her interviews are deposited in the Canadian Museum of Civilization
Canadian Museum of Civilization
The Canadian Museum of Civilization is Canada's national museum of human history and the most popular and most-visited museum in Canada....
, Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
. Over two summers, she also interviewed many elderly residents of Baddeck
Baddeck, Nova Scotia
Baddeck is a Canadian village in Victoria County, Nova Scotia.It is the county's shire town and is situated on the northern shore of Bras d'Or Lake on Cape Breton Island...
, Nova Scotia, who worked with Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell was an eminent scientist, inventor, engineer and innovator who is credited with inventing the first practical telephone....
on the hydrofoil
Hydrofoil
A hydrofoil is a foil which operates in water. They are similar in appearance and purpose to airfoils.Hydrofoils can be artificial, such as the rudder or keel on a boat, the diving planes on a submarine, a surfboard fin, or occur naturally, as with fish fins, the flippers of aquatic mammals, the...
and the tetrahedral kite
Tetrahedral kite
A tetrahedral kite is a multicelled rigid box kite composed of tetrahedrally shaped cells. The cells are usually arranged in such a way that the entire kite is also a regular tetrahedron. The kite can be described as a compound dihedral kite as well....
s which he developed there after the telephone made him famous. Her book Genius at Work: Images of Alexander Graham Bell was published in 1982 by The Viking Press
Viking Press
Viking Press is an American publishing company owned by the Penguin Group, which has owned the company since 1975. It was founded in New York City on March 1, 1925, by Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheim...
, New York and later by Nimbus
Nimbus publishing
Nimbus Publishing is a Canadian publishing company, founded in 1978, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The company specializes in subjects relevant to the Atlantic Provinces...
, Halifax, Nova Scotia.