The hisÂtoÂry of exploÂration is replete with famous names everyÂone knows, like Robert Peary, the man most often credÂitÂed with first reachÂing the North Pole. Those who work alongÂside the legends—doing the heavy liftÂing, savÂing lives, makÂing essenÂtial calculations—tend to be forÂgotÂten or marÂginÂalÂized almost immeÂdiÂateÂly in the telling of the stoÂry, espeÂcialÂly when they don’t fit the proÂfile for the kinds of peoÂple allowed to make hisÂtoÂry.
In Peary’s case, it seems that the most imporÂtant memÂber of his team—his assisÂtant, African AmerÂiÂcan explorÂer Matthew HenÂson—may have actuÂalÂly reached the North Pole first, along with four of the team’s InuÂit crew memÂbers.
HenÂson and PerÂry first met in a WashÂingÂton, DC clothÂing store where HenÂson worked. When they struck up a conÂverÂsaÂtion, Peary learned that HenÂson had fled MaryÂland “after his parÂents were tarÂgetÂed by the Ku Klux Klan,” as Messy Nessy writes. He had then signed on as a cabÂin boy at 12 and sailed around the world, includÂing the RussÂian ArcÂtic seas, learnÂing to read and write while aboard ship.
Peary was impressed and “hired him on the spot,” and “from that point forÂward, HenÂson went on every expeÂdiÂtion Peary embarked on; trekking through the junÂgles of Nicaragua and, latÂer, covÂerÂing thouÂsands of miles of ice in dog sleds to the North Pole.” Also on their last expeÂdiÂtion were 39 InuÂit men, women, and chilÂdren, includÂing the four InuÂit men— Ootah, EgigÂingÂwah, SeeÂgloo, and Oogueah—who accomÂpaÂnied HenÂson and Peary on the final leg of the 1909 jourÂney, Peary and Henson’s eighth attempt.
As the six men neared the pole, Peary “grew more and more weary, sufÂferÂing from exhausÂtion and frozen toes, unable to leave their camp, set up five miles” away. HenÂson and the othÂers “scoutÂed ahead,” and, accordÂing to HenÂson’s account, actuÂalÂly overÂshot the pole before douÂbling back. “I could see that my footÂprints were the first at the spot,” he latÂer wrote.
Peary evenÂtuÂalÂly caught up and “the sled-bound AdmiÂral allegedÂly trudged up to plant the AmerÂiÂcan flag in the ice—and yet, the only phoÂtoÂgraph of the hisÂtoric moment shows a crew of faces that are disÂtinctÂly not white.” Either Peary took the phoÂtoÂgraph as a “way of honÂorÂing the crew” or he wasn’t there at all when it was takÂen. The forÂmer doesÂn’t seem likeÂly givÂen Peary’s eagerÂness to claim full credÂit for the feat.
Peary acceptÂed the sole honÂor from the NationÂal GeoÂgraphÂic SociÂety and an award from ConÂgress in 1911, while Henson’s “conÂtriÂbuÂtions were largeÂly ignored” at the time and “he returned to a very norÂmal life” in relÂaÂtive obscuÂriÂty, workÂing as a U.S. CusÂtoms clerk for 23 years, unable to marÂshal the resources for furÂther expeÂdiÂtions once Peary retired.
In his writÂings, Peary charÂacÂterÂized HenÂson accordÂing to his useÂfulÂness: “This posiÂtion I have givÂen him priÂmarÂiÂly because of his adaptÂabilÂiÂty and fitÂness for the work and secÂondÂly on account of his loyÂalÂty. He is a betÂter dog driÂver and can hanÂdle a sledge betÂter than any man livÂing, except some of the best EskiÂmo hunters themÂselves.” The pasÂsage is remÂiÂnisÂcent of Lewis and Clark’s descripÂtions of SacaÂgawea, who nevÂer emerges as a full perÂson with her own motiÂvaÂtions.
SadÂly, in his 1912 account, A Negro ExplorÂer at the North Pole, it seems that HenÂson interÂnalÂized the racism that conÂfined him to secÂond-class staÂtus. “AnothÂer world’s accomÂplishÂment was done and finÂished,” he writes, pasÂsiveÂly elidÂing the doer of the deed. He then invokes a trope that appears over and over, from Shakespeare’s TemÂpest to Defoe’s RobinÂson CruÂsoe: “From the beginÂning of hisÂtoÂry, wherÂevÂer the world’s work was done by a white man, he had been accomÂpaÂnied by a colÂored man. From the buildÂing of the pyraÂmids and the jourÂney to the cross, to the disÂcovÂery of the new world and the disÂcovÂery of the North Pole.”
The kind of hisÂtoÂry HenÂson had learned is obvious—a whiteÂwashÂing on a world-hisÂtorÂiÂcal scale. It would take almost 30 years for him to finalÂly receive recogÂniÂtion, though he lived to become the first black memÂber of The ExplorÂers Club in 1937 and “with some irony,” Messy Nessy writes, he “was awardÂed the Peary Polar ExpeÂdiÂtion Medal” in 1944. Since then, his name has usuÂalÂly been menÂtioned with Peary’s in hisÂtoÂries of the expeÂdiÂtion, but rarely as the first perÂson to reach the pole. Watch two short proÂfiles of HenÂson’s accomÂplishÂments above, and see many more phoÂtos from the expeÂdiÂtion at Messy Nessy.
via Messy Nessy
RelatÂed ConÂtent:
Josh Jones is a writer and musiÂcian based in Durham, NC. FolÂlow him at @jdmagness.
First perÂson to get to the pole?
Even the phoÂtoÂgraph shows the four InuÂit, each of whom may have been the first “perÂson” to reach the pole.
ConÂdemnÂing the racism against HenÂson while he evenÂtuÂalÂly got some recogÂniÂtion and the InuÂit got none is…more racism. Dang!
I just can’t believe it first man to get to the pole it is totes so cool can’t wait 2 hear more about him so u c black peoÂple can do great things to
Omg realÂly I need to hear more about this guy