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From: quozl@netcom.com (D.M. "Quozl" Falk)
Subject: Re: Eskimo Script
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Date: Sat, 4 May 1996 15:11:15 GMT
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John Arnold (jarnold@jarnold.demon.co.uk) wrote:
: While I was at the excellent museum of American cultures (or was it 
: the Canadian national gallery) at Ottawa last year, I saw several Eskimo 
: exhibits which had some sort of script on them, unlike anything I have 
: seen before.  But I could find no more information.

: Does anyone know anything about this script? How old is it? What's it 
: used for? Is it still used?

Do a WWW search for "inuit" and "inuktitut", and many of your questions 
will be answered. There is even an Inuit True Type font out there... :)

My info's a little sketchy, but here's what I can offer:

Two native Canadian groups use this writing system: Cree and Inuit 
("eskimo"). Both were developed in the 19th Century by a missionary whose 
name I forgot. Both are in fairly wide use today in the Canadian Cree and 
Inuit communities, with newspapers, magazines, books, and TV/video 
character generation (including usage by a northern-Canadian TV network 
that presents programs in Cree, Inuit, and a couple other major 
aboriginal tongues)... Literacy in these communities is very high, making 
them very useful. Official Canadian documents are routinely published in 
Cree and Inuktitut.

To add to the Inuit TT font, there is a Cree font, but I think it's Adobe 
Type 1 only...

Now, to add a few questions/inquiries of my own... :)

1: I know about this TV network mentioned above, but I don't know where 
to contact for information/tapings of same, either through the Internet 
or email... I know their headquartered in Yellowknife, Northwest 
Territories....

2: I would like to have a Windoze Write file that gives pronunciation of 
the Inuit character system...

3: Are there any online documents *in* Cree or Inuit?

4: (To go with #1.) Where may I contact to get ahold of issues of 
newspapers/periodicals in Cree or Inuit? (I collect them, BTW...)

Thanks for any help offered! :)

....Quozl!


-- 
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 Dennis M. Falk, aka "Quozl Mephit" : 221 Huntoon St. Eureka, CA 95501-4115 USA
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