Before coming to Arctic Bay, Shooyook lived near Fort Ross. Fort Ross was a Hudson Bay Company Post at the eastern entrance of the Bellot Strait. Fort Ross was used for a number of years before being abandoned, due to uncertain ice conditions. The manager’s house, 
which still stands, has the most unexpected and exquisite wood work in it. But Shooyook and the group of Inuit he was a part of, lived on the land in the area surrounding the post.
One of the group was a woman, Soosee, who suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. And because she suffered from it, far from any medical attention, the entire group suffered. In the late 50’s after two men travelled to Spence Bay (Taloyoak), the RCMP flew in and she was taken for medical attention, eventually ending up in Edmonton where she was diagnosed as having "Acute anxiety state" not Schizophrenia and sent back, not having received any treatment. By 1964 her condition was worsening again. He husband was unable to leave her alone, and couldn’t hunt, and again the RCMP were called in.
This time the local doctor in Taloyoak made sure that his diagnosis of Schizophrenia accompanied her to Edmonton. That coupled with her violence kept her in Edmonton for a short while. But after four months she was deemed well enough to go home and returned to Fort Ross. However soon her violence and descent into the illness force the group to flee their camp for a nearby island, leaving her behind. After several days of watching the rampaging woman through telescopes, Shooyook and another young man, Aiyaoot, were sent back to the camp to try and retrieve the groups possessions before they were all destroyed. They were told that should she be as violent and ill as before they were to shoot her. Upon their arrival in the camp, Soosee came at them, yelling and swinging a rifle, and they shot and killed her. It was something that was accepted by all in the group, that it was something that had to be done and life returned to normal.
However a short time later Shooyook was arrested in Taloyoak and along with Aiyaoot was charged with murdering Soosee. Their trial, held in Spence Bay in 1966, was reported on widely in Canada, and made (in)famous by a magazine article "The Executioners" in MacLean’s magazine written by Farley Mowat (as an aside I met Aiyaoot’s defence lawyer, now an Alberta Judge, here in Arctic Bay where he presided over one of our court sessions).
There was no arguments of the facts, all Inuit witnesses freely spoke about what had taken place, including Soosee’s husband, who had directed them to kill her if she was still violent. Mowat’s article (and other news reports also) was a searing criticism of the justice system. It was later rebutted by another article in MacLean’s by a long time resident of the North, pointing out many errors in it.
In truth, Justice seemed to be well served by the trial. While acknowledging that a woman was murdered it considered that there were extraordinary circumstances and a unique culture, poorly served by resources, involved. The presiding Judge, Sissons is quoted as stating "This is a difficult case. Our sympathy must be with these people who found themselves in this impossible situation… I do not envy you your task". At the end of the trial the jury deliberated for three hours and announced that it had been difficult to come to a decision because "We considered the Eskimo’s culture as it affects the case".
Aiyaoot was found not guilty, but Shooyook was found guilty of manslaughter in the death of Soosee. Taking into consideration the circumstances and the jury’s plea for leniency he sentenced Shooyook to a year’s suspended sentence. After the trial, a free man (albeit one with a criminal record) Shooyook walked home, a distance of some 320 kms.
Most of this post is based on, and in many cases is little more than paraphrased, a chapter in a book on Dr. Otto Schaefer, the Doctor in Spence Bay who sent Soosee to Edmonton and who also testified for the defence in Shooyook’s trial. The book is entitled Sunrise Over Pangnirtung by Gerald W. Hankins, M.D. (ISBN 0-919034-97-7), although some is from personal conversation with various people in Arctic Bay.
After learning of the story while I was still a member I discovered that Shooyook still had a criminal record for this incident. I encouraged him to seek a pardon, one I hope was granted.
I alluded to Farley Mowat’s role in all of this in a previous post, and I’ll quote directly from the book of a telling incident from after the trial
After a personal encounter with Mowat at Spence Bay a day or so after the trial, Otto Schaefer also felt disinclined to accept his passionate claims. Mowat had heard that a plane would be arriving in two days to transport Otto, the x-ray team, and a couple of patients to Cambridge Bay. He came to the nursing station where Otto was working and demanded that he be given a seat on the plane. Mowat’s angry outburst when Otto told him the plane would be full and he could not dislodge any patient undermined the credibility of his written defence of the rights and dignity of the Inuit."
photo courtesy Capt. Stewart Klebert.
Comments
10 responses
This is a great story, Clare. I’ve always found it very interesting having read the different accounts by Schaeffer and Mowat. Its interesting to be surrounded by so much history. I was fortunate to meet the grandson of Schaeffer’s assistant Etuangat once during a conference in Iqaluit last year and I could have listened to his tales of his grandfather for hours.
Yes, an interesting story Clare, many thanks.
Did he get his pardon?
Great story , Clare. Thanks.
Does sound like a good case for a pardon–also I think right that it went to trial–but what a terrible situation. From the point of view of the community–not like they could call the cops. And I think from the point of view of Soosee. It’s hard to imagine an Inuit woman taken out of her community being successfully treated for paranoid schizophrenia in a hospital in Edmonton. The only better path that might have been taken I guess would have been to keep her in Edmonton for the good of her community–still not very satisfactory.
Too bad about Farley Mowat. I like to think that writers (artists, etc.) I like are also people I’d like. But maybe sometimes it all goes into the art….
Thanks all,
Darcy, you’re right, there is so much history here. And unfortunately much of it is lost with the death of each elder. Sometimes you’re lucky and the family knows.
I’m actually not sure if the pardon was granted Dave. The process was still going on when I retired and I hadn’t heard what the results were. I’ll have to ask.
Quite right Pamela. Too often Soosee is forgotten in this tale. Sad. It’s funny how we equate the artist to his art. I know how disappointed I was to hear the Peter Gzowski wasn’t always the most pleasant person. Or that Mr. Dressup smoked.
Farley Mowat is practically a curse word in Newfoundland so I’ve never had much time for him. It has honestly been years since I’ve read anything of his.
The Wikipedia entry on Mowat (and yes, I know the pros and cons of Wikipedia), makes for an interesting, albeit brief, summary of the man.
Enjoyed reading both parts of the story of Shooyook. I’m glad to see these kinds of accounts and stories written up as so much history can be lost — and I’m really speaking more of the smaller stories that are rarely recorded. Thanks.
Clare, thank you for this post. I’m reminded again what a great sense you have for compelling human stories, both the fragile details of Soosee’s case and the unfolding drama (courtroom and literary) that developed later.
Clare;
Yup, I always felt great sympathy for all the protagonists. One slight inaccuracy, there was no resident doctor in Spence Bay in 1964, only a public health nurse and a nurse’s aid. The doctor would have come to Spence Bay from Cambridge Bay as required.
I was telling someone the story recently but found myself lacking in details and even names. I’m glad you recounted the story as my memory of the event has become seriously faded over the years. Thanks.
nj.
This was very interesting reading. My friend Bob Swanson and I landed at Fort Ross in our Cessna 180 on floats in 1974. It was an awesome experience. We were exploring Somerset Island and had just camped for several days at Cape Garry. My friend John McGrath had just met Farley Mowat, and we all thought that he was a complete JERK. Everything that Farley wrote was total nonsense. We made many trips to the arctic. In 1973 I spent two months on Somerset Island on an archaeology expedition. That was many years ago, and arctic memories are still some of my fondest. I met Ernie Lyall many times also.He was an awesome individual.