The Ice People
By Alberto Leoncini

The ambient devastion and the climatic changes have become an actual debate on the polar areas and its destiny; they are also well known as geopolitical and energy areas.
But very little attention is given to the people that live and of course are born in those areas and especially in the Arctic area. The reference is obviously to the Inuit culture,  known as “Eskimos” (recent studies state that this word, referring to the Arctic Population that speak the family Eskimo- Aleuta language, means “those who speak a foreing  language” and not “raw meat eaters”, as it was known up to a few years ago; as states and theated at p. 27 of the catalogue “inuit and the ice people” mentioned in bibliography), bearers of a stratified culture reinforced in the centuries by the severity and the adversity from the atmosphere and climate conditions. The analisys of the polar areas puts us in a multitude of implications: the exploration story, the organs of organization and protection, the possibility of supplying energy and the International disputes on the Antarctic and Arctic post-soviet territories.

All the same, my point of view is very particular and rotates around who can be defined as a friend of the ice people: Silvio Zavatti (1917-1985), resercher and anthopologist from Romagna, who not only gave an important contribution to the growth of this sector on Italy, but was one of the first to understand the potentiality and importance of studing these cultures.
His values and his mission are brought ahead from the Polar Institute dedicated to him at Fermo, that represents an advanced reserch of the polarist research at an International level especially with the project “Charter of the Arctic People”, that aims in becoming an unreplaceable instrument for future reserches, by the time when many traditions will be lost by the ratification of the “Global Village”.
Zavatti, infact, was one of those who declared and opposed against it, just like Pasolini with his proverbial “lucciole”.  Infact we cannot forget that one of the noble fathers of Zavatti was Emilio Salgari, who was also obstinated and prophetic opposer of the exploitation of the nature and supporter of the other and the oppressed?
 My in-depth, even if taking off from a precise figure and from a precise geographical contest, aims in going over, in extending a reflection on the connection between progress and development and its possible models. Silvio Zavatti, after his experience as captain of long runs, founded in 1944 the Polar Geographical Insistute, starting to promote expeditions in Antarctic and Greenland. That was the start of the Polar Museum, first in Civitanova Marche then in Fermo. In 1954 Zavatti had made the conditions for costructing an Italian base in the Perianctartic peninsula of Bouvet that was not realized for the lack of funds. From 1961, following the important expedition in Rankin Inlet, he could learn more on the Inuit culture which he will always remain attached to as a promoter and defencer.
The 60s were the period of high density in expeditions and traveling not only in the Inuit ambit but also in the Sami (Lapland), while in the 70s the most important and significant stop in Zavatti’s life was the organization of the International Polar Congress directly in Civitanova. He was not only the “future seeing protester”: without dwelling myself, I do want to at least mention Jack London, with his People from the Abyss. In this he refers to the Inuit population – one of the first literature statements of such importance- placing itself on a careful examination on the progress and the value to give to this term. The Inuit population becomes this way a term of comparison with the English man, at that time considerred an ace of paradigm for the man in “progress” and in “civilization”.

Implicate Disciplines
- English literature, from Jack London, The People from the Abyss (traslated IT. Il popolo degli Abissi) extract from the last chapter in original language.
- Latin literature, Plinio Il Vecchio, Naturalis Historia IV  16; 89 ( piece concerning the existence of the mithic “Ultima Thule”)
- Italian literature, Emilio Salgari and the adventure story with particular reference to the novels in the polar ambient. Also mentioned Giorgio Manganelli, L’Isola pianeta ed altri settentrioni, Adelphi, Milano)
- History of Art – The primitivism. The influence of the other in art.

Operational Formalities
On my reserch on Zavatti, apart from publications and the most classic and known  texts for those who is in the least into the polar tematics, I found a commemoration issued in 2005 on the “Il Pensiero Mazziniano”, organ of the Italian mazzinians.  This script, signed by Mario Proli, highlights the figure, tracing a good profile; particularly successful, which I agree, is the International planning given to the problems in question. There is finally awareness also at a mediatic level that the polar matters are closely connected those of other areas, or better they are of importance to the whole world.
This bibliography has been enriched with a wide dossography, first consulting all the journals “Il polo”, from the Polar Instiute “Silvio Zavatti” from Fermo, in the following years: LVIII, LIX, LX, and LXI.
But firstly my reserch was autonomous, without looking into archives, but rather listening to testimonies of researchers, and re-elaborating in a self key of interpretation and deriving by a course of investigation on the themes discussed protracted in the years. Paper works and telematic sources  have been used and the  participation to the convention “North Pole, South Pole, two extremes  that meet” held in Milan (Società Umanitaria) dates 3-4 February 2007 (in which the second day I participated).
I wish to thank all for the numerous  appoints and suggestions  received from Luciano Curreri, Eugenio Boldon Zanetti, Gabriella Massa , Davide Sapienza ,Alessandra Cervellini, Federico De Nardi.

Conclusion and project raising
The return to the origin situation, especially in human relations and in the development model, I think would be the principal teaching that we can get through the straordinary population of the Inuit, which have been able to adapt themselves in extreme conditions, reinterpreting in an inconscious way the idea of “humanitas”, that in our culture has very deep roots and maybe more utopian than real.
It does not seem casual that the last winter olimpics, taken in Turin, has had as cultural event on the opening the exhibition “Inuit and the ice population”, visited by over 50.000 people, and that after this cultural event there have been different initiatives on this theme even in Italy, Of course a strong impulse was given by the International Polar Year (IPY) already started and inserted in the Milanese Convention.
It was well noted that the large amount of noice made on the Globalization did not take a minum account of the vast area in large part treated as periphery.  As the attach at the Pentagon and the Twin Towers of  the 11th  September  2001  revealed  over the world  the geopolitics problems, so, on my point  of  view,   the  destruction  of  New Orleans  was  the 11th September of Mother Nature and of the climate changing. And yet no one wrote “we are all citizens of New Orleans”, as in the famous article of “Le Monde” of the 12/9/2001, Nous sommes tous Americains.
Maybe we have not yet realized that the natural phoenomenons are very close with each other and that the human and natural dramas that are being verified in these years are nothing but the unequivocal act of accuse towards a model of development that only for “convenience” has not been alterated.

Bibliography and Sitography
The conquest of the North Pole, Florence Marzocco 1976
Frinchillucci G.  Guide to the Polar Museum Silvio Zavatti, Fermo, Fermo Zavatti Polar Institute, 2005
Houston J Discovering the Inuit, Casale Monferrato, Piemme 1998
Leoncini A, Inuit, Mask of Identity, interview in Nero Plasma, quarterly of the project Giovani Comune di Treviso year IX nn 1-2.2007
Massa G. Inuit and The Ice Population, Milan skira 2005
Proli M. A Mazzinian at the end of the world in “the Mazzinian Thought n. 3 2005
Stabile G .The Eskimos Vs the low costs flights in La Stampa Thursday 13 May 2007
Yardley W Alaska The orphan village of the ice, in La Repubblica, Monday 28 may 2007 (translated from the New York Times)
Zavatti S the Misteryous Ice Population, Milan Longanesi 1977
Zavatti S. Nobile and the Pole through Romagna – Letter between the Gen. Nobile and Luciano De Nardis, Fermo Polar Institute “S.Zavatti – Comune di Fermo, 2005
www.museopolare.it
www.davidesapienza.net
www.circolopolare.com
www.gabriella-massa-archeonova.com