The fate of Sir John Franklin’s 1845 expedition was one of the Arctic’s most enduring mysteries, until the wrecks of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror were found in 2014 and 2016. The Sam Waller Museum is pleased to present The Ones We Met – Inuit Traditional Knowledge and the Franklin Expedition, an exhibition developed by the Canadian Museum of History and the Inuit Heritage Trust, which explores the role of Inuit oral history in solving that mystery.

“Without the shared memories passed down through generations of Inuit — stories of sick and starving men, and an abandoned ship locked in the ice — we might still be searching for the Franklin Expedition,” said Caroline Dromaguet, Interim President and CEO of the Canadian Museum of History. “With The Ones We Met, the Canadian Museum of History is proud to bring well-deserved attention to the importance of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, or Inuit traditional knowledge, in keeping history alive and ensuring that critical information is not forgotten.”

The exhibition features photographs, illustrations and an animated map of routes charted by Europeans looking for a Northwest Passage in the 350 years before Franklin’s expedition. Visitors can hear stories of Inuit encounters with Franklin and his men, and of Martin Frobisher’s voyages to Baffin Island in the 1570s. The recordings include the late Inuit historian Louie Kamookak reflecting on the ongoing importance of oral histories and the bleak environment northwest of King William Island, where Franklin’s ships were first trapped by ice.

This exhibition was inspired by the Museum of History’s special exhibition Death in the Ice – The Mystery of the Franklin Expedition, which traced Sir John Franklin’s doomed attempt to navigate the Northwest Passage, and the many efforts made over the years to find out what had happened to the British explorer and his 128 crewmen.

The Ones We Met – Inuit Traditional Knowledge and the Franklin Expedition is a travelling exhibition developed by the Canadian Museum of History in partnership with the Inuit Heritage Trust. Presented in Inuktitut, Inuinnaqtun, English and French — the four official languages of Nunavut — the exhibition will be on display at the Sam Waller Museum from September 10 to November 25, 2022.

Canadian Museum of History

Located on the shores of the Ottawa River in Gatineau, Quebec, the Canadian Museum of History attracts over 1.2 million visitors each year. The Museum’s principal role is to enhance Canadians’ knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the events, experiences, people and objects that have shaped Canada’s history and identity, as well as to enhance Canadians’ awareness of world history and culture. Work of the Canadian Museum of History is made possible in part through financial support of the Government of Canada.

 Inuit Heritage Trust
The Inuit Heritage Trust is dedicated to the preservation, enrichment and protection of the Inuit cultural heritage and identity embodied in Nunavut’s archaeological sites, ethnographic resources, and traditional place names. Its activities are based on the principle of respect for the traditional knowledge and wisdom of Inuit Elders. The Trust receives its mandate directly from the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement.