Elatu’s Funeral: A Glimpse of Inughuit-American Relations on Robert E. Peary’s 1898–1902 Expedition

In January 1901, American explorer Robert E. Peary was an active participant in an Inughuit funeral following the death of a young woman at his base at Fort Conger, Ellesmere Island. Peary’s unpublished account of the funeral is the most detailed description of an Inughuit funeral before the introdu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:ARCTIC
Main Author: LeMoine, Genevieve
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: The Arctic Institute of North America 2014
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/67446
Description
Summary:In January 1901, American explorer Robert E. Peary was an active participant in an Inughuit funeral following the death of a young woman at his base at Fort Conger, Ellesmere Island. Peary’s unpublished account of the funeral is the most detailed description of an Inughuit funeral before the introduction of Christianity and agrees in most details with other accounts of funerals from the region. Additionally, along with Peary’s and Dr. T.S. Dedrick’s journal entries from that time, the funeral and the circumstances surrounding it provide insight into the complex relationships between Peary, his American companions, Dedrick and Matthew Henson, and the Inughuit men and women who overwintered with them at Fort Conger. En janvier 1901, l’explorateur américain Robert E. Peary a joué un rôle dans les funérailles d’une Inughuite après le décès d’une jeune femme à sa base de Fort Conger, sur l’île d’Ellesmere. Le récit inédit de Robert Peary à propos des funérailles constitue la description la plus détaillée de funérailles inughuites avant l’avènement du christianisme, et la plupart des détails coïncident avec d’autres récits de funérailles de la région. Grâce au récit de Robert Peary et à celui du Dr T.S. Dedrick retrouvé dans son journal intime de l’époque, les funérailles et les circonstances qui les entouraient jettent un regard sur les relations complexes qui existaient entre Robert Peary, ses compagnons américains, le Dr Dedrick et Matthew Henson, ainsi que les femmes et les hommes inughuits qui passaient l’hiver au Fort Conger avec eux.