Dorothy Harley Eber

Who is Dorothy Harley Eber?

Dorothy Margaret Harley Eber, CM is a Canadian author and one of the first people to transcribe and publish oral histories of Inuit people in Nunavut in both English and Inuktitut. She has devoted much of her life to preserving the history of the Inuit people. In the 1970s, she was one of the first writers to record their oral history on tape. She then completed the first oral biography of an Inuk, Pitseolak Ashoona, based on first hand accounts. Printed in both English and Inuktitut, it is said that Pitseolak: Pictures out of my Life was the first book, after the Bible, to be published in the Inuit language. Her multiple other works, including films and exhibitions, as well as her written material, have provided Canadians with a better understanding of Inuit culture. She is invited regularly to present at museums and cultural institutions worldwide, international conferences, and has contributed articles to international journals. She has served on committees to judge annual Inuit art competitions.