Arnarulunnguaq
Arnarulunnguaq | |
|---|---|
 Arnarulunnguaq in 1924 | |
| Born | 1896 Thule, Greenland |
| Died | 2 October 1933 (aged 36–37) Thule, Greenland |
| Known for | Participation in the Fifth Thule Expedition (1921–24) |
| Spouse | Iggiannguaq |
| Awards | Silver Medal of Merit |
Arnarulunnguaq F.M.2 ([aɴ.ɑ.ʁu.lun.ŋu.ɑq] ong-aw-rhue-loon-ng'oo-awk; 1896 – 2 October 1933), a native Greenlander, was a key member of Knud Rasmussen's Fifth Thule Expedition (1921–1924) which crossed the Northwest Passage by dog sled. She was one of the two who accompanied Rasmussen from the Hudson Bay to Alaska, preparing meals and keeping skins and furs in order throughout the two-year journey. As a result, she was the first woman to complete the long Arctic journey from Greenland to the Pacific.[1][2]
Biography
[edit]Born in Thule (Qaanaaq) in 1896, Arnarulunnguaq (meaning "little girl")[3] was the daughter of the Greenlandic hunter Uumaaq and his wife Aleqasersuaq. After her father died when she was only seven years old, as the youngest child she experienced a difficult childhood, helping to provide for the family. According to Rasmussen, her family had initially decided to murder her, a practice among the Inuit when resources were insufficient to support everyone:[4][5] she was required to put a rope around her own neck to show her acquiescence; but her brother Ajako began to cry and her mother decided not to go through with the killing. Arnarulunnguaq saw this event as a kind of rebirth.[6][2] Among the Arctic Inuks chosen by Knud Rasmussen to participate in his Fifth Expedition were the hunter Iggiannguaq and his wife Arnarulunnguaq. Shortly before their departure, Iggiannguaq died of pneumonia but Arnarulunnguaq insisted on continuing, explaining to Rasmussen: "Before it was you who needed me, now it's me who needs you."[1]
After the first stage of the expedition had reached the Hudson Bay, most of the party returned home. Rasmussen, Arnarulunnguaq and her cousin Qaavigarsuaq Miteq, a hunter, continued by dog sled for the next two years, proceeding under extreme conditions over unexplored Arctic territory all the way to the Bering Strait. Arnarulunnguaq proved to be a vital member of the group; brought up as a hunter's wife and companion, she not only took care of preparing meals but created and maintained skins for clothing and helped build shelters of peat.[1] During the journey, Arnarulunnguaq produced a number of drawings, including detailed images of Inuit women's tattoos.[7] Summing up her positive influence, Rasmussen tells us that Arnarulunnguaq had "that good humour about her that only a woman can instil [and was as] entertaining and courageous as any man when we were out on our journey."[2]
In late 1924, Rasmussen, Arnarulunnguaq and Miteq embarked on their return journey to Denmark via the United States. On arriving in Copenhagen, Arnarulunnguaq was diagnosed as suffering from tuberculosis and was hospitalized but she never fully recovered. Rasmussen visited her in hospital, honouring her with the Silver Medal of Merit which she had difficulty accepting, although she was said to deserve it as much as anyone.[1]
In 1925, Arnarulunnguaq returned to Thule where she died on 2 October 1933.[1]
She will appear on a 2028 Danish krone banknote (the krone is also used in Greenland).[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Lidegaard, Mads. "Arnarulunnguaq (1896 - 1933)" (in Danish). Kvinfo. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
- ^ a b c Ulfsdotter, Marja (15 July 2008). "Arnarulunnguaq - fra fattig barndom til Washington på høje hæle". Jyllands-Posten (in Danish). Retrieved 1 August 2019.
- ^ "Hvem var Arnarulunnguaq?" (in Danish). Makko.dk. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
- ^ Garber, Clark M. (1947). "Eskimo Infanticide". The Scientific Monthly. 64 (2): 98–102 – via JSTOR.
- ^ Schrire, Carmel; Steiger, William Lee (1974). "A Matter of Life and Death: An Investigation Into the Practice of Female Infanticide in the Arctic". Man. 9 (2): 161–184. doi:10.2307/2800072 – via JSTOR.
- ^ "Arnarulunnguaq: A tough woman in a strongly male-dominated universe".
- ^ Jelinski, Jamie (2018). ""If Only It Makes Them Pretty": Tattooing in "Prompted" Inuit Drawings". Études Inuit Studies. 42 (1–2): 211–241. doi:10.7202/1064502ar. ISSN 0701-1008.
- ^ "What will Denmark's new banknotes look like?". Danmarks Nationalbank. Retrieved 9 September 2024.