Posted by: Bess Fraser
As good friends I’ve have been lucky to witness Connie Wren-Gunn’s journey from taking care of her kids at the same time as attending school to defend her masters in woman’s history, to her current position as Director of Content and Interpretive Products at Know History Inc. Landing a perfect job for a writer interested in Canadian history.
One project that Wren-Gunn has worked on for the last six years has resulted in a beautiful book that features Inuit oral history and traditional knowledge about the Franklin expedition and the land, water, and ice where the wrecks of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror lie. She was honoured to work closely with Edna Elias, former Commissioner of Nunavut, and collaborate with a team of Inuit in Gjoa Haven, Nunavut, the closest community to where the shipwrecks were found. The connections Wren-Gunn made in Gjoa were integral to bringing this project to life, and it’s clear that this book is a labor of love, built on a deep commitment to honoring the people and the land.
The extraordinary book brings a fresh and vital perspective to the well-known tale of the Franklin expedition. The Land Was Always Used presents this history through the eyes of Inuit. As the book’s lead writer, Wren-Gunn masterfully weaves together the stories of nineteenth-century Inuit and contemporary Elders and community members, bringing their ancestors’ encounters with Franklin and his ill-fated crew to the forefront – but also sharing their intimate knowledge of and connection with their homeland (Inuit Nunangat). The book is an exploration of the culture, resilience, and strength of the Inuit.
A unique aspect of the book is the emphasis on the power of oral history. Wren-Gunn relied on this time-honored tradition, passed down through generations, to deepen our understanding of Inuit interactions with Franklin’s crew and searchers. Her close collaboration with Inuit in Gjoa ensured that participants in the project would get a family heirloom they could share with their grandchildren. Wren-Gunn’s experience spending time in Gjoa over three separate trips to the community also brings an authenticity to the book. She captures the raw beauty and power of the Arctic landscape, a place that deeply affected her, as well as the warmth and generosity of the people who live there.
The stunning photography by Michelle Valberg, an award-winning Canadian Geographic photographer, enhances the narrative, providing breathtaking visuals of the Arctic’s stark beauty and creating a vivid picture of the land and people whose histories are intertwined with the Franklin expedition.
I highly encourage everyone to read this book, not just for its historical significance, but for its message of resilience and cultural pride, and the importance of listening to the stories of those who have lived them.
The Land Was Always Used is available for sale at www.thelandwasalwaysused.ca. I am so proud of Wren-Gunn’s accomplishment and believe that other OOS residents who know her will be glad to hear about this book. I think we are all ready for a Canadian good news story right now. Don’t miss out on this addition to the conversation around Inuit history.
Bess Fraser does layout for the OSCAR.
Featured in the March 2025 OSCAR.