North Pole Legacy

by S. Allen Counter

  On April 6, 1909, Henson, Peary, and four Polar Eskimos reached a point that the two Americans determined to be the North Pole. During their previous eighteen years together in the Arctic, Henson and Peary had risked life and limb together in over ten thousand miles of exploration. They had made several other attempts at the Pole, coming closer each time but never attaining their goal. They had discovered meteorites, new fauna, and previously unknown geographical features, such as the fact that Greenland is an island rather than a continent that extended to the North Pole. Throughout, Henson had been an invaluable asset to Peary—as dogsled driver, mechanic, navigator, translator, and friend. So it was only fitting, and only fair, that they reached the top of Earth together and “nailed the Stars and Stripes to the Pole.”

  Once their goal was achieved, Henson and Peary left Greenland for the United States, never to return. But both left behind a legend and a legacy. Anaukaq is part of that legacy.

  Anaukaq tells me that since his childhood, he has heard many wonderful stories about the great Mahri-Pahluk. Having no memory of his father, he has only these stories to go by, but the stories have made him very proud. Matthew Henson, he says, was the most popular outsider ever to visit his land. Polar Eskimo legends and songs tell of how masterfully Mahri-Pahluk could drive a dogsled, hunt a walrus, and skin a seal. They also tell of his long trek north across the great sea ice, with Ootah, Seegloo, Egingwah, Ooqueah, and Peary, to the strange place they call the North Pole. The Eskimos, it is said, would never have traveled so far from their land were it not for Mahri-Pahluk’s presence and persuasion. Henson knew most of the 218 members of the tribe and spoke their difficult language fluently. Peary was known to the Eskimos as the commander of the expeditions, the one who could provide them with pay in the form of valuable goods. But Henson was known as the man who made the expeditions work. Even the great Ootah said that while the other outsiders were like children in the ways of the Eskimo, Mahri-Pahluk was a natural in their world. He was one of them.

  CHAPTER TWO

  “You must be a Henson”

  My trip to Moriussaq had its origins in a conversation that took place some years earlier in Stockholm, Sweden. I was a visiting professor at the Karolinska Nobel Institute at the time, and my colleague Dr. Erik Borg invited me to dinner. Over the years Erik, his wife, Birgitta, and their children had become my adopted Swedish family, and I had often dined at their home in the suburb of Bromma.

  On this particular occasion we were joined by Erik’s old schoolmate Peter Jacobson and his family. Peter had recently returned from Greenland and was keen on telling us about his trip. After dinner, when the conversation turned to Arctic exploration, I mentioned that a black American had made significant contributions to that field. To my surprise, both the Jacobsons and the Borgs knew about Matthew Henson. The Swedes, like other Scandinavians, are fond of Arctic lore and history. They grow up on stories of explorers such as Roald Amundsen and Peter Freuchen, much as American children do on tales of Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett.

  Peter told us of rumors that there were some dark-skinned Eskimos in Greenland who might be the descendants of Henson, as well as others of particularly light complexion who might be the offspring of Commander Peary. The possibility of “white” Eskimos was not surprising, since it was well known that many Danish men stationed in Greenland over the years had fathered children with Eskimo women. But the notion of “black” Eskimos intrigued me. I made a mental note to investigate this matter later.

  During the next few years I read everything I could about Henson and Peary, hoping to uncover some evidence that would confirm or disprove the rumors Peter Jacobson had heard. I learned a great deal about the history of polar exploration, the controversy surrounding the conquest of the Pole, and the unique relationship between Henson and Peary, but I found no mention of Amer-Eskimo offspring in Henson’s and Peary’s own writings, and nothing elsewhere that went beyond rumor or innuendo. In the end I became convinced that the key to this mystery could not be found in any library or archive. If Henson and Peary had in fact left behind children in the Arctic, surely the Eskimos themselves would know. Perhaps only they would know. I decided I would have to ask them.

  The most difficult thing about visiting polar Greenland is getting there. Commercial transportation is limited to southern Greenland, where most of the inhabitants of this sparsely populated island live. Only American and Danish military planes serving the American air base at Thule are permitted in the northern part of the country. Built in 1955 on land traditionally occupied by a large group of Eskimos, who were forced to move, Dundas Air Force Base was established as part of an early-warning system and frontline defense against Soviet air attacks.

  Permission for nonmilitary personnel to travel in the area is rarely granted, except for approved scientific studies and exploration. I therefore decided to apply to the Danish government for permission to conduct “a scientific study of ear disease in Eskimos and to interview some of the Polar Eskimos who were familiar with early American explorations in the area.” My proposed audiological study was serious. As a neurophysiologist, I had read extensively about the ear problems of Eskimos. Of particular interest to me were studies showing that Eskimos from Canada and lower Greenland suffered an unusually high degree of sensorineural (“nerve”) hearing loss. Sensorineural hearing impairment is irreversible and generally results from aging, ototoxic compounds, genetic factors, viruses, or noise trauma. Since no one had ever conducted a systematic hearing study of the Polar Eskimos, who are considered tribally and culturally different from Canadian Eskimos, such an undertaking seemed worthwhile. This way, even if my search for the descendants of Henson and Peary proved fruitless, I would have something to show for my efforts.

  In the spring of 1986, at the end of a long trail of formal letters, long-distance phone calls, and lengthy applications, the Danish authorities granted my request. Several weeks later the First Space Wing of the U.S. Air Force gave me special permission to fly to Dundas Air Force Base on one of their C-141 transports. After arriving in Thule, I was forced to delay my journey to the Eskimo settlements because of high winds along the mountainous seacoast. Eventually, however, I boarded a helicopter that carried me to remote Moriussaq.

  As the helicopter hovered over the edge of the tiny village, about a dozen young Eskimos ran out of their houses to greet me. The pilot set the aircraft down between two large orange oil drums that marked the landing zone and turned off the rotating blades. The young villagers rushed toward us, eager to collect any mail or supplies we might have brought and to get a look at their visitor. Unpacking my gear with the aid of the Eskimos, I asked if Tobius was among them.

  “Yes,” responded the short, round-faced man standing next to me, smiling. “I am here. Welcome to my village.”

  I had been directed to this settlement of about twenty families by a Polar Eskimo hunter named Panigpak Oaorana, who worked for the Danish ministry at Thule. Panigpak, who spoke only a little English, referred me to Tobius, who had previously worked at the base but now lived in Moriussaq. I asked Tobius if there was a family of dark-skinned Eskimos living in Moriussaq who were the descendants of Matthew Henson.

  “Yes, there is such a family. Mahri-Pahluk’s family lives there, and over there, and over there,” he said, pointing to three different “igloos” in the distance.

  “Will you take me over to meet them?” I asked.

  “Yes, I take you.” We headed off in the direction of the houses. “How do you know of this family?” Tobius asked.

  “From your friend Panigpak, at the base,” I replied.

  “Oh, I see. They will be happy to see you.”

  “Why? Are they expecting me?”

  “Oh, no,” Tobius said, and then fell silent.

  “Or is it because I am black?” I asked.

  “I think so,” he said with a mischievous grin. “No black person has ever come here before.”

  As we walked toward the settlement lugging my
equipment and heavy backpack, I learned that Tobius had no formal training in English but had picked up the language over the years through his work at the air base. He was disappointed, he told me, that the base was now off-limits to most Polar Eskimos, though he agreed with the government’s efforts to preserve traditional Inuit culture by minimizing outside influences, including alcoholic beverages. I questioned Tobius more about the dark-skinned Eskimo family.

  “The old father lives there, just over there, in that igloo,” he said, pointing to a small wooden structure covered with faded blue paint that lay just ahead of us.

  “Let us visit the ‘old father’ first,” I suggested.

  We gave wide berth to the big dogs tethered to stakes along the way and zigzagged around their large droppings, which seemed to be strewn everywhere. Many of the fierce-looking canines howled or yelped at our approach. When we finally reached the cottage, built in the style of a New England “saltbox,” Tobius climbed the steps and knocked loudly on the door. We could hear noises inside, and the voice of a man saying in Eskimo what must have been, “I’m coming.” Soon a dark-complexioned, elderly man with curly hair, high cheekbones, and Eskimo eyes appeared in the doorway. He was wearing a gray flannel shirt with its collar exposed under a bulky white sweater, gray wool trousers, and sealskin boots. Tobius, a big, full-toothed grin on his face, said something to the man in Eskimo and then turned to me. I smiled, extended my hand, and said (in the rehearsed Eskimo that I had learned from Panigpak), “Hi-nay [Hello], I am Allen Counter, from the United States.” The old man turned to Tobius, who translated. With a pleasant smile and soft laugh, the old man turned back and carefully examined my face.

  “I am looking for the family of Myee-Paluk—Matthew Henson,” I continued.

  Tobius quickly corrected me, “Mah-ri Pah-luk.”

  I tried again, this time to the satisfaction of both men, “Mahri-Pahluk.”

  “Hi-nay, the old man said, cheerfully grasping my hand. “I am Anaukaq, son of Mahri-Pahluk.”

  “Son of Mahri-Pahluk?” I said incredulously, turning to Tobius. Could this be true? Offspring, yes, but could it be possible that this man is the son of Matthew Henson? His dark hair, smooth skin, and muscular frame did not appear to be those of a man old enough to be Henson’s son. Henson had left Greenland for the last time in September 1909. Any Eskimo child of his would therefore have to be at least seventy-seven years old, yet this man looked to be in his sixties, at most. Perhaps he is a grandson, I thought, and Tobius erred in his translation. After all, Henson and Peary had been in the area since 1891, sometimes up to four years at a stint, so they certainly could have fathered children who begat other children. But Tobius made it clear that there had been no mistranslation.

  “Yes, he is the son of Mahri-Pahluk,” he said. “All of us up here know that.”

  I studied Anaukaq’s face in detail. Everything about the appearance of the man said that I was looking at a descendant of Matthew Henson. Even his laugh and gestures were curious, somehow different from those of Panigpak and Tobius. Then again, I thought, maybe I was seeing what I wanted to see.

  He tried to communicate something to me in his native tongue. I turned to Tobius. “What did he say?”

  “He says you must be a Henson, and you have come to find him,” Tobius said with an inquisitive smile on his face. I could see in Anaukaq’s expression that he was elated by the thought and anticipated an affirmative response.

  “Unfortunately, I am not a member of the Henson family,” I said and then added, “but I have come here as a friend, looking for any Polar Eskimo descendants of Mahri-Pahluk.”

  Tobius translated. “I am Anaukaq, son of Mahri-Pahluk,” the old man proudly reiterated. “I am pleased that you have traveled to Moriussaq to see me.”

  We spent the next few days getting acquainted. Using his cane, Anaukaq walked me about the village, introducing me to his relatives and neighbors. One day, as we sat drinking some spiced tea that I had brought along, we talked at length about Anaukaq’s early life. What he knew of his father he had learned from his mother and the older Eskimos who had known Mahri-Pahluk. To their knowledge, he was the only child Henson fathered in the Arctic. Anaukaq said that he was born on Peary’s omiak [ship] in 1906. He then went on to tell me numerous stories about his life, particularly his childhood. As I listened, I became increasingly convinced that this vigorous, eighty-year-old “black” Eskimo was in fact the son of Matthew Alexander Henson. And I had found him—alive and well. I felt good inside.

  In subsequent conversations, over the next couple of weeks, Anaukaq talked with me more and more personally, as if I were the long-lost relative he had hoped for. “You are the first kulnocktooko to visit my home,” he said. “I never thought anyone who looked like me would ever come to visit. I am very happy you came.” From time to time he would ask, “Are you sure you are not a Henson?” then laugh warmly. “You look very much like you could be one of my relatives.” He would then rub the hair on my head and say, “Very good,” after which he would touch his own hair. “The same. Your hair is the same as mine.” It became a kind of ritual between us, and each time we both would laugh. I noticed that he always clapped his hands when he laughed, as I have seen so many black Americans do.

  “I have often wondered whether the curious urge to search for Matthew Henson’s descendants way up here might not be based on some unknown biological kinship to Henson’s family,” I told Anaukaq. “But I don’t think we’re related.”

  Yet even if I were not his relative,’ what about other relatives? Anaukaq wanted to know. “Did Mahri-Pahluk have any children over there? Do I have any brothers and sisters in America?”

  “I do not know,” I replied, “but to my knowledge your father had no children by his American wife, Lucy Ross Henson, whom he married after your birth.”

  “Is that true?” He chuckled. “You mean my father had no American wife when he was with my mother?”

  “No, not until after you were born.”

  He laughed again. “Peary had two wives, one Eskimo and one in his own land. I thought maybe Mahri-Pahluk had two wives also.”

  “No, he married Lucy in 1908, the year he and Peary left the United States for their last attempt to reach the Pole. They had no children then or later.” I could not be certain about other children from other relationships, of course, but I said I would be happy to initiate a search for possible relatives when I returned to the United States. Anaukaq wanted to know more about Lucy Henson, but information about her is so sparse I could only tell him a little about her background. At times he looked so disappointed at my lack of information that I had to reassure him I would do my best to track down his American relatives.

  “All my life I have wanted so much to see my father or someone from his family,” Anaukaq told me. “When I was young, I would talk with my friends about traveling to the land of my father to visit him, but I had no way to get there. Then one day I realized he must be dead, and I dreamed of seeing his birthplace and burial place.” He paused, then continued. “My children too have wondered about their relatives over there. Even if I never meet them, I would like to have my children see their American relatives.” The poignancy of his expression was occasionally relieved by an awkward laugh, as if he were a little embarrassed about sharing such deep personal feelings with so new an acquaintance. When he was much younger, he said, he had often wondered why his father had never come back to visit him or sent for him to visit his distant homeland.

  I explained to Anaukaq that even if his father had wanted to return to the Arctic, it would have been very difficult for him to do so. I described the obstacles that anyone of that era, and especially an African American, would have faced in trying to make such a journey. Even if Henson had wished to join one of the later expeditions led by his old friend Comdr. Donald B. MacMillan, it is doubtful he could have spared the time or the money. Having secured a minor post with the U.S. Customs Service in New York, he would have risked losi
ng his job by taking an extended leave of absence. As it was, he and his wife both had to work full time in order to make ends meet.

  “Akatingwah, my mother, held a special place in my heart,” Anaukaq said, after I had finished. “She was a feisty, tough, independent woman and a good mother.” She died when Anaukaq was a teenager, but his memories of her remained vivid. He told me, as did some of the older Eskimo women in the area, that Mahri-Pahluk loved Akatingwah but realized that she had been “given” by her family—in the Eskimo way of marriage—to an Inuit man named Kitdlaq. So his mother was technically “married” when she first lived with Matthew Henson in 1902. Her husband was a hunter who traveled regularly by dogsled across the ice between Ellesmere Island in Canada and northwest Greenland. He also worked as a hunter and in other capacities for Peary’s expeditionary teams. It was not uncommon then for married Eskimo women to cohabit with men other than their husbands for short periods, though this custom was usually confined to those within the community and was misunderstood by outsiders. What seems to have been unique about Henson’s relationship to Akatingwah is that the Polar Eskimos believed him to be a tribal relative and accepted him as such.

  Several of the older Eskimo women in Moriussaq later told me that when Akatingwah gave birth to a dark-skinned baby with never-before-seen curly hair, everyone in the village knew at once that it was Mahri-Pahluk’s child. Like Anaukaq, they also expressed the belief that Matthew would have taken his “Eskimo wife” to his homeland if she had not already been given in marriage to another man.