Explorer retraces forgotten Arctic expedition
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CANADIAN researcher David Gray first got interested in Canada’s 1913-1918 Arctic expedition when he was a biologist — he was impressed with the detailed records, notes and samples of plants from the journey.
The North Pole had already been reached in 1909 by American Robert Peary and there had been many expeditions since then. This one starting in 1913 was more about scientific research than claiming new territory, which is what first attracted Gray.
Now, after more than 40 years of research into that expedition 100 years ago, he is struck by the anthropology and culture of the indigenous Inuit people, their evolution and how old expedition photos and records are connected with descendents in the Arctic today.
“The Inuit people used to scatter around, hunting and fishing,” he explains. “Now, they live in communities and work for the communities, but most of them try to carry on the tradition as much as they can. Many people get on the land to go hunting and fishing on weekends and holidays.”
He cites the example of Mike Siberian, a native from Siberia who worked with the Canadian scientists until 1918. His life took a downturn after the project and he committed suicide. When Gray met his granddaughter, she didn’t know much about her grandfather, nor had she ever seen a photo of him. Gray was able to find a recording of him singing Siberian and Russian songs for the team and a photo to show his granddaughter.
“It’s amazing how often this happens. There have been so many stories like this and people write to me all the time asking about their ancestors,” he says. “It has been the most rewarding and exciting part of the project.”
Earlier this week, Gray addressed the Shanghai International Literary Festival, hosted by M on the Bund through March 21, to present his findings and discuss his own expedition last summer. In that journey, he retraced part of the original expedition to commemorate its 100th anniversary. He also presented a sneak preview of a documentary about the old and new explorations.
“The 1913 expedition was the first major Canadian scientific exploration of the Arctic. The scientific aspect also sets it apart from other arctic expeditions at the time, which were mainly about finding new lands,” Gray tells Shanghai Daily.
The expedition head Vilhjalmur Stefansson was determined to find new lands and make a name for himself, but the expedition’s main target was scientific. The team was comprised of scientists from many disciplines, who left extensive recordings and information, setting the baseline of knowledge and understanding of the Canadian Arctic.
At first, that expedition was closely followed by media, but the spotlight faded as World War I started. Many of the findings went unnoticed and scientists moved on to other projects.
“It was very significant, both culturally and biologically. It was during a time when the Inuit people just started to be influenced from the south, to be introduced to new culture and customs. But for a long time, it was forgotten, even in Canada,” Gray says.
That lack of awareness made it difficult to raise funds for Gray’s own one-month expedition retracing part of the original journey, and a documentary to make the centenary of the great Arctic trek.
Gray, who had previously not used a mobile phone or social media, immediately bought one and set up pages to promote the new undertaking and spotlight the 100-year-old adventure.
He has built a virtual museum for the Canadian Museum of History titled “Northern People, Northern Knowledge — The Story of the Canadian Arctic Expedition 1913-1918.”
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