It is an unconcerned, heartless portrayal of a woman’s dismay and abuse at the hands of Peary’s men: “she was wrapped in a blanket, arms pinioned to her sides, flat on her back on a two-inch plank, and hoisted up to the fore boom where she remained, swinging to and fro in the wind ” (p. 100), his humorous description of one particular case, that of Ahl-nay-ah, suggests he did not consider the condition serious. MacMillan made various comments on “piblockto,” and although he understood it as “a form of Arctic hysteria, not caused by fright or joy or sorrow, but possibly by jealousy, abuse by the husband or a craving for affection” (p. Peary’s employment of many Inughuit “had wide-ranging effects on the material and psychological well-being of this group” and the “stresses of early contact with Euro-Americans contributed to many of the reported episodes of hysteria among the Inughuit” ( ibid.: 395). Peary’s ‘philanthropy’ extended to offering women in pre-existing conjugal relationships to other Inughuit men ” ( ibid.). This said, a late comer to the Peary Arctic Club, MacMillan might not have realised that during all his expeditions, “Peary assumed the role of patriarch, dispensing Inughuit women to his employees as if they were his property. Peary’s ethic with regard to Inughuit women was revealed by his advice for successful expeditions in 1885: “the presence of women an absolute necessity to render men contended” (Dick 2001: 382). Yet, in 1900 when Josephine went to Greenland and met Aleqasina, who told her Peary had fathered her infant son, Peary was unapologetic about his liaison (Henderson 2005: 135). The inequality of power between Aleqasina, Piugaattoq on one hand and Peary on the other, undoubtedly played an important part in his actions. Even the so-called “traditional” practice of exchange of wives between Inuit partners does not adequately explain Peary’s behaviour since he certainly did not include his own wife in the arrangement. Indeed, Peary’s wife since 1888, Josephine Diebitsch (1863-1955) accompanied him on four of his expeditions, travelled to meet him twice in the Arctic, and wrote books to promote his work, while Peary maintained a relationship in Greenland with Aleqasina who was herself married with Piugaattoq (Harper 2000: 29). Even if Peary lost his toes to the terrible cold during one of his expeditions, his long sojourns in the Arctic were not entirely hardships. Unlike previous explorations, the “Peary system” used sled dogs and dispersed caches with precise amounts of food for humans and dogs.Īccounts of Peary’s private life during his expeditions cast doubt on the strict accuracy of MacMillan’s insistence that “ Commander Peary’s leaves of absence from the United States Navy for a long period of years were not for the purpose of ‘having a good time up North’” (p. “The Commander,” as MacMillan often referred to him, is depicted as very concerned about the well-being of his men, who trusted him because his methods “were the results of his own experience over many years” combined with that of the “most efficient men” in the Arctic: the Inuit (p. MacMillan, who had lost his father at age 9, portrayed Peary as a paternal figure to whom he vowed a Scout-like loyalty: “We were to give him our best, perhaps our hands, our feet, or even our lives, as one did” (p. This first-hand account of difficult and dangerous travels in an exceedingly cold environment is definitely an homage to Robert Peary (1856-1920). After this trip, the high school teacher, an alumnus of Bowdoin College like Peary, undertook graduate studies in anthropology at Harvard and became an explorer himself. Chester (Artist, Sisters OR)Īrtistic Identification Systems, Inc.Peary’s 1908-1909 North Pole Expedition was the first Arctic journey that MacMillan participated in and it would change his life forever.
When will your name or company be added to this list? A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Zģ001 Szualicum Building Assoc (Bellingham WA)Īlpine Village Suites (Taos Ski Valley NM)Īnnette’s Dance Studio (Packanack Lake NJ)Īrmstrong, J. I am providing this to give you an indication of the various businesses and individuals I have done various art and woodcarvings for. Taos Artist & Woodcarver, Terry Wolff’s Clients.This partial listing of my clients. Picture of the artist, Terry Wolff standing in his studio Below is a listing of Clients of Taos Artist & Woodcarver, Terry Wolff