The Inuit of the far north helped solve the mystery of a doomed 19th-century expedition. Now Canada needs them to strengthen its claim to this newly contested region.

Unlike the leader of the doomed Franklin expedition, Roald Amundsen delighted in getting to know and learning from the Inuit.

Battling unpredictable seas, freezing winds, and remote isolation, this leg of the journey through the Northwest Passage—from the Aleutian Islands to False Pass—is not for the faint of heart. It’s a ...