“In a year or two the Eskimo would go to the traders if the traders did not come to the Eskimo. And if neither Eskimo nor trader had the enterprise to seek the other, the Indians are eager to act as middlemen between. Commerce in goods may, therefore, be said to have begun; commerce of ideas cannot help following close behind.  From the point of view of the ethnologist and sociologist the result of these new forces is clear, the rapid change of ideas, institutions and material surroundings.”

One of Vilhjálmur Stefansson’s best-known books is The Friendly Arctic, and he foresaw that the book’s title presented a challenge to many of his contemporaries who did not share his positive approach to Arctic regions and their inhabitants.

The cover of the book presents a man dragging a freshly killed seal, a photograph of Vilhjálmur himself. This photograph, Vilhjálmur’s favourite, may not please many present-day animal protectionists; instead, it does remind us of a fundamental aspect of human adaptability in northern regions, i.e. people's right and need to utilize nature's resources.

The legacy of the explorer and anthropologist Vilhjálmur Stefansson is closely connected with human-environmental relations, the sustainable use of natural resources, and the survival and viability of northern communities. Perhaps his legacy is of primary importance because he has, more than anyone else, contributed to a change in the image of the North, from a barren eternally frozen wasteland into a rich region of diverse character that deserves the attention of the international community. We live in changing times and the current focus of awareness has certainly been shifted north. This has been a rapid development, transferring the Arctic regions to a central position with regard to the issues of environmental and climate change, international co-operation and resource governance and use.

Stefansson was often referred to as the “Prophet of the North.” An important aspect of his philosophy was that by learning from the descendants of generations that had lived in the Arctic for thousands of years, we would come to realize the all-round potential of the regions of the far north. For this to happen, we have to open our minds, be free of prejudice and be willing to learn from the indigenous inhabitants.

Vilhjálmur Stefansson’s philosophy was controversial and did not meet with much understanding from many of his contemporaries who showed little appreciation of his role as an advocate for the Inuit way of life. In fact, many of the Arctic explorers took but little interest in the people who lived in the Far North and their cultures. Stefansson stood out with his progressive attitudes, his efforts to resist cultural and national chauvinism, and his critical view of the European cultural intrusion into the lives of indigenous peoples. In his lectures on the Arctic he often used Inuit society as mirror to help his American audience to reflect on their own society. Why were they discontented, in spite of all their material wealth? He claimed to know people who owned almost nothing in terms of material belongings and yet were the happiest humans he knew. Thus Stefansson was engaged in cultural criticism long before this became fashionable.

The Icelandic Nobel Prize author Halldór Laxness was well acquainted with the works of Vilhjálmur Stefansson. In an essay he wrote in 1927 he said of Vilhjálmur that “…he has perhaps one of the widest perspectives of all those who write books nowadays and the most vivid panoramic view of the multiple facets of human life…”