I'm An American -- Vilhjálmur Stefánsson

Recorded Sound | Digitized | RG Number: RG-91.0061

Overview

Description: On June 8, 1941 Vilhjálmur Stefánsson spoke with William H. Marshall, Assistant District Director of Immigration at Ellis Island, about his experience as an immigrant living and working with the Inuit community. The two men discuss Stefánsson’s ethnicity and immigration story. Stefánsson reveals why he believes his ancestors may have been some of the earliest American immigrants. He also discloses historical and geographical facts about Iceland and Greenland. The Nordic explorer goes on to explain why he believes the Nordic countries are important to the defence of American Democracy. Stefánsson shares a few stories from his expeditions and explains what it was like being foreign born living with Eskimos. Vilhjálmur Stefánsson, a Nordic, closes the program by dismissing the belief that the Nordic race is superior and destined to rule the world.

Vilhjálmur Stefánsson (b. William Stephenson) was born on August 28, 1962 in Arnes, Manitoba, Canada to Icelandic parents. In 1880, his family moved to North Dakota. Stefánsson studied anthropology at the graduate school of Harvard. After adapting himself to the Inuit (Eskimo) way of life, the explorer and ethnologist spent five consecutive record-making years exploring vast areas of the Canadian Arctic. From 1906 to 1907, Stefánsson lived among among the Inuit acquiring an intimate knowledge of their language and culture; as well as forming the belief that Europeans could live off the Arctic land by adopting Inuit ways. He and the Canadian zoologist Rudolph M. Anderson carried out ethnographical and zoological studies from 1908 to 1912. The explorer’s knowledge and understanding of the Canadian Arctic led him to believe the area would one day become economically important. During World War II Stefánsson advised the U.S. government on surveyed defense conditions in Alaska, as well as prepared reports and manuals for the armed forces. He wrote a number of books, including My Life with the Eskimo (1913), The Friendly Arctic (1921), Unsolved Mysteries of the Arctic (1939), and Discovery (1964).
Date: Broadcast: 1941 June 08
Format: WAV

Physical Details

Language: English
Genre/Form: Radio broadcasts.

Rights & Restrictions

Conditions on Access: This archival media can only be accessed in a Museum reading room or other on-campus viewing stations.
Copyright: NBC Universal
Conditions on Use: Contact NBC Universal at www.nbcuniarchives.com for permission to duplicate and use this film or sound recording.

Administrative Notes

Legal Status: In process
Recorded Sound Provenance: The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum purchased digital copies of these sound recordings from the Library of Congress in March 2018.
Recorded Sound Notes: More information about Vilhjalmur Stefansson
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Vilhjalmur-Stefansson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilhjalmur_Stefansson

More information about I’M AN AMERICAN:
https://www.uscis.gov/history-and-genealogy/our-history/historians-mailbox/im-american
https://www.npr.org/2017/10/16/557338355/im-an-american-radio-show-promoted-inclusion-before-world-war-ii
Recorded Sound Source: Library of Congress - Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division (MBRS)

Record last modified:: 2024-02-21 07:27:11
This page:: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn621010

Download & Licensing

Request Copy
See Rights and Restrictions
Terms of Use
This record is digitized but cannot be downloaded online.

In-Person Research

Requires Research Visit
Plan a Research Visit

Contact Us

Give Feedback

Also in "I'm An American" NBC radio broadcasts

I’M AN AMERICAN premiered in 1940 on the eve of WWII. The NBC radio broadcast was spearheaded by the Immigration and Naturalization Service of the U.S. Department of Labor to foster a “deeper consciousness of the privileges and responsibilities of citizenship and more tolerance for fellow american of all birthplaces”. The weekly program featured distinguished foreign-born citizens discussing their naturalization process, the meaning of “democracy” and reminding all Americans of the value/privilege of U.S. citizenship. Sound recordings of I’M AN AMERICAN are available from the NBC Radio Collection in the Library of Congress.

Date: 1940-1944

Learn About The Holocaust

My Saved Research

I'm An American -- Vilhjálmur Stefánsson

Overview

Physical Details

Rights & Restrictions

Administrative Notes

Download & Licensing

In-Person Research

Contact Us

Also in "I'm An American" NBC radio broadcasts

Learn About the Holocaust

Further Your Research

About the Museum's Collections

Plan a Research Visit

Ask a Research Question