The Behind-the-Scenes Hero
Hans Hendrik was an Inuk hunter, explorer, and guide who participated in many important expeditions in the 19th Century. Born in Fiskernæs (now Qeqertarsuatsiaat) in southwestern Greenland, he was the first Indigenous explorer to write his experience and have it published. Hendrik served under Dr. Elisha K. Kane aboard the Advance on the second Grinnell Expedition (1853-55) to find Franklin, then under Dr. Isaac J. Hayes, Kane’s Surgeon, aboard the United States from 1860-61, before joining Captain Charles F. Hall's Polaris Expedition (1871-73). His final expedition, the British Arctic Expedition, was under George Nares in 1885. Hans Hendrik passed away in 1889.
“[Hendrik] shared in all the four renowned expeditions which have thrown light upon the narrow branch of the sea that divides the Greenland from the American Arctic islands. As far as I know he is the only man who did so.”
Henry Rink in Introduction to Memoirs of Hans Hendrik
Memoirs of Hans Hendrik Pg. 5
Hans Hendrik was widely praised by his fellow travelers and the captains he served under for his knowledge and strength.
He is credited with saving many lives on board these expeditions with his knowledge of hunting and of the land. During the Polaris Expedition, in the October following Captain Hall's death, Hendrik and a fellow Inuk saved a group stranded on an ice floe by hunting seals and "keeping the cook kettles filled with a meat that is both nutritious and, as luck would have it, a source of vitamin C, and hence a defense against scurvy" (ADN). After they were all rescued, Hendrik and the other indigenous man were taken to DC and hailed as heroes.
"I was wakened by hearing people speaking about a bear. Rising up, I saw a bear walking towards us. I said to the others that they must lie down near the boat, imitating; seals; [?], while my comrade and I went towards the bear, who alternately sank and reappeared behind the ice hillocks. We waited until he came close up to us, whereupon my comrade gave him a shot, and I finished him off"
Memoirs of Hans Hendrik p. 72
“The Polaris had a safe and pleasant passage, and arrived on the coast of Greenland in due time. Touching at Holsteinborg, July 31st, the captain availed himself of an opportunity to forward a letter to the Secretary of the Navy. He had touched at Tiscanaes to endeavor to secure the services of Hans Christian, the experienced dog-driver and hunter of the Kane and Hayes expeditions, but learned that he should find him at Upernavik awaiting the Polaris.”
The Wonders of the Arctic World p 585
Sources
Hendrik, Hans, and George Stephens. Memoirs of Hans Hendrik : the Arctic Traveller, Serving Under Kane, Hayes, Hall and Nares, 1853-1876. Trübner, 1878.
James, David. “Hans Hendrik’s 19th-Century Memoir Offers an Inuit Account of Arctic Exploration.” Anchorage Daily News, 27 Feb. 2021, www.adn.com/arts/books/2021/02/27/hans-hendriks-19th-century-memoir-offers-an-inuit-account-of-arctic-exploration/.