eBook

English

9781510726383

Includes bibliographical references.

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"North Pole Legacy tells the story of two men whose existence was for decades nothing more than a popular legend. But that rumor was finally verified in 1986 when author S. Allen Counter journeyed to northern Greenland, and met this pair of remarkable men. Counter had long been an admirer of Matthew A. Henson, the African-American explorer who accompanied Admiral Robert E. Peary to the North Pole twice in early twentieth century. While conducting professional research in Sweden, Counter became intrigued by talk of mixed-race Inuit living in an isolated region of Greenland. Unable to forget this rumor, Counter traveled to investigate several years later, venturing more than a thousand miles north of the Arctic Circle. There, in two tiny villages, Counter met Anaukaq Henson and Kali Peary, Amer-Inuit sons of the two explorers. Born only days apart in 1906, they had long been acknowledged by their communities as the sons of Matthew Henson and Robert Peary, but had never been in contact with any of their American relatives. As it was obvious that these two men longed to see the country of their fathers, Counter arranged for Anakukaq, Kali, and their families to travel to America to meet their families. North Pole Legacy describes the obstacles that Counter overcame to bring news of Anaukaq Henson and Kali Peary to the world, to bring them to the United States, and to facilitate a reunion with relatives that they had never known. At the same time, the narrative flashes back to the unique history of Matthew Henson and Robert Peary in their collaboration as explorers and addresses their somewhat controversial claim to have been the first people to reach the North Pole"--,Provided by publisher.

In this "poignant and gripping book", a researcher finds the Inuit descendants of famed Arctic explorers and new insights into their historic mission ( The New York Times Book Review). North Pole Legacy tells the story of two men whose very existence had been a topic of debate and speculation for decades: Kali Peary and Anaukaq Henson, the Greenland Inuit sons of the legendary explorers Robert Peary and Matthew Henson. In 1986, S. Allen Counter finally met these remarkable individuals face to face. Counter had long been an admirer of Matthew A. Henson, the African-American explorer who accompanied Admiral Robert E. Peary to the North Pole twice in early twentieth century. He became intrigued by talk of mixed-race Inuit living in an isolated region of Greenland and eventually journeyed more than a thousand miles north of the Arctic Circle to investigate the claims. In this classic of exploration literature, Counter describes the obstacles he overcame to find Anaukaq and Kali, bring them to the United States, and facilitate a reunion with relatives that they had never known. At the same time, the narrative flashes back to the unique history of Matthew Henson and Robert Peary in their collaboration as explorers. Counter sheds important new light on their controversial claim to have been the first people to reach the North Pole.