A Negro Explorer at the North Pole · Chapter
Appendix I: Notes on the Eskimos explained
This appendix provides ethnographic observations on the North Greenland Eskimos, covering their physical appearance, social customs, material culture, family life, and spiritual beliefs.
What happens
This appendix provides ethnographic observations on the North Greenland Eskimos, covering their physical appearance, social customs, material culture, family life, and spiritual beliefs. Henson notes their capacity for imitation, use of tools, clothing, housing, and the harsh realities of their existence, including the treatment of women and death rituals. He concludes by acknowledging their invaluable assistance in polar exploration despite their isolation from the commercial world.
Themes in this chapter
Cultural Exchange and Imperialism
Henson documents the Eskimos' adoption of Western clothing styles and tools, as well as their lack of interest in learning English, highlighting the asymmetrical nature of cultural contact.
Class and Servitude
The appendix describes the low status of Eskimo women, who are treated as property that can be loaned, sold, or exchanged, reflecting a rigid social hierarchy.
Perseverance and Endurance
The Eskimos' constant movement due to scarce game, their use of limited resources, and their physical tests of strength demonstrate their resilience in a harsh environment.
Characters to notice
- Matthew Henson
Author of the appendix, providing first-hand observations of Eskimo life and customs.
- Kudlooktoo
One of the few Eskimos who could speak English intelligently.
Key passages
“The origin of the Eskimos is not known to a certainty. In color they are brown, their hair is heavy, straight, coarse, and black. In appearance they are short, fat, and well-developed; and they bear a strong resemblance to the Mongolian race.”
The exact origins of the Eskimos are uncertain, but they have brown skin, thick black hair, and a stout build, resembling the Mongolian race.
Henson describes the physical characteristics and speculated racial affinity of the Eskimos.
“The wife of an Eskimo is held in no higher esteem than are the goods and chattels of the household. She may at any time be loaned, borrowed, sold, or exchanged. They have no marriage ceremony.”
Eskimo women are treated as property, with no formal marriage ceremony, and can be loaned, borrowed, sold, or exchanged at will.
Henson comments on the low social status of women in Eskimo society.
“It is true that the Eskimos are of little value to the commercial world, due probably to their isolated position; but these same unlearned and uncivilized people have rendered valuable assistance in the discovery of the North Pole.”
Though the Eskimos have little commercial value because of their isolation, their help was crucial in reaching the North Pole.
Henson acknowledges the paradox of the Eskimos' perceived primitiveness and their essential role in polar exploration.