‘Kalli in the ship’: Inughuit abduction and the shaping of Arctic knowledge

Abstract

This article examines the contributions made to Arctic knowledge by Kallihirua, a member of the Inughuit community of Northern Greenland who was abducted by the crew of the Assistance during the 1850–51 expedition in search of the missing ships Erebus and Terror. Unpacking this important moment of cultural encounter, the article explores the ways in which Kallihirua’s presence on board the ship became embroiled in wider scholarly debates pertaining to the ‘origins of the Inuit’ and to the historical migrations of human beings around the world. Furthermore, it studies the ways in which this ‘indigenous intermediary’ became an important influence on the emergent scholarly disciplines of anthropology and geography which were undergoing a process of institutionalization and professionalization during this period. The article therefore contributes new insights into the fundamental, yet overlooked, roles that Arctic indigenous peoples have historically played in shaping non-indigenous knowledge about the region.