Inuit woman standing near prints - Cape Dorset, Nunavut

Description

Image of an Inuit woman standing in her blue parka in a printmaking studio, various prints line the walls and printmaking equipment can be seen in the background., Robert Gordon Williamson was born in England and immigrated to Canada in 1952. While living at Fort Simpson, N.W.T., he began recording Dene folklore and from there moved to Pangnirtung, Baffin Island, where he learned Inuktitut. Following this experience, Williamson began studying anthropology at Carleton University and received his BA in 1957. He received his PhD from the Royal University, Uppsala, Sweden in 1974. While working towards his degrees, Williamson joined the Department of Northern Affairs where, among other accomplishments, he established a section dedicated to Inuit studies and founded the first Inuit-language journal. In 1963 he resigned to do private research in Rankin inlet (now Arviat). The following year, he joined the faculty in the department of Anthropology at the University of Saskatchewan as a lecturer. He was made a full professor by 1973, and also served as director of the University's Arctic Research and Training Centre for over a decade. He served two terms as member for Keewatin on the Legislative Council of the NWT. Williamson also worked on behalf of numerous organizations, including the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada, the Canadian Eskimo Arts Council, the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, and the CBC Northern Service. He was invested into the Order of Canada in 1983. Upon his retirement from the University in 1999 Williamson was named Professor Emeritus, and was later recognized with the JWG Ivany Internationalization Award.