Esquimaux in NYCity; was Munchausen

[George Thompson]

There was a controversy in the late 1810s when a family of Eskimos were
brought to NYC by the captain of a whaling ship.  They were exhibited,
and the man demonstrated the use of a kayak in the harbor.  Questions
were raised as to whether they had come voluntarily; the debate was
curtailed, if I recall, by the captain leaving the city with them.  I
also have a note on performing Eskimos in London, not the same family.

I will gather my notes on this for those interested, will post them
here, upon popular demand.

GAT

George A. Thompson
Author of A Documentary History of "The African Theatre", Northwestern
Univ. Pr., 1998, but nothing much lately.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Baker, John" <JMB at STRADLEY.COM>
Date: Wednesday, February 28, 2007 10:45 am
Subject: Re: Munchausen

>        According to Wikipedia, in the 19th century, the story
> underwentexpansions and transformations by many notable authors, so
> it would not
> be surprising if this language was added later.  I believe the Dore
> edition may have been published in 1895.  Perhaps someone has
> access to
> the original 1785 Rudolf Raspe edition.
>
>        There have been Esquimaux in the United States since 1867,
> whenAlaska was purchased from Russia.  There were, therefore, none
> in 1785.
> This does not seem a point on which Raspe would have insisted on
> strictaccuracy.
>
>
> John Baker
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
> BehalfOf James A. Landau
> Sent: Tuesday, February 27, 2007 9:45 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Munchausen
>
> Thanks to the people who straightened out my confusion about the
> datingof "Black liberation".
>
> Now for another *apparent* anachronism that has me confused.
>
> In an ADS-L thread about "bootstraps" starting August 28, 2005,
> there is
> a consensus that "Baron Munchausen" appeared in English in 1785.
>
> However, Chapter Thirty-First "Arriving in North America, we were
> received by the President of the United States with every honor and
> politeness.  He was pleased to give us all the information possible
> relative to the woods and immense regions of America, and ordered
> tropsof the different tribes of the Esquimaux to guide us..."
>
> (Another anachronism: there were no "Eskimos" in the United States
> until1959.  Also, what is the plural of "Inuit", or is it its own
> plural?)
> Well, as trivia buffs will tell you, under the Articles of
> Confederationthe head of the Continental Congress had the title
> "President of the
> United States in Congress Assembled", but I find it unlikely that
> Raspe,generally considered to be the author of Munchausen, would
> have been
> aware of the official title of a functionary in the ex-colonies,
> particularly since he was a recent immigrant to England.
>
> It is possible that my edition of Munchausen (published by Grosset &
> Dunlap, with Gustav Dore illustrations, but with no publication
> date) is
> a later edition modified since 1785.
>
> Aside:  "white people have no souls", which I have been using as a
> closing, is from Chapter Twenty-Fourth of Munchausen.
>
>    - Jim Landau
>
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>

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