Customer Reviews

Midnight to the North: The Inuit Woman Who Saved the Polaris Expedition

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After greatly enjoying Steven Heighton's captivating novel Afterlands: A Novel, I was intrigued to find Sheila Nickerson's MIDNIGHT TO THE NORTH, a book that sets out to tell "The Untold Story of the Inuit Woman Who Saved the POLARIS Expedition" (as stated in the book's subtitle). Tookoolito (Hannah) and her husband Ebierbing (Joe) had traveled back and forth from their home territory on Baffin Island (Canada) to England and later to North America as interpreters, Arctic survival guides and food hunters, and also to assist with the promotion of Arctic explorations. Last but not least they were of great interest as a source for any clues concerning survivors of the failed Franklin expedition (1845-48). Captain Charles Francis Hall, obsessed with these topics, and having encountered both Inuit at a young age, included them in all of his exploration missions. When not on ships or on icy lands, the couple and their adopted daughter Punny settled in Groton, Connecticut.

Award winning author and poet Sheila Nickerton's special interest in Tookoolito is part of a wider theme: the plight of Inuit women, whose essential and substantial contributions for English and American explorers' survival in the Arctic was either totally ignored or considerably minimized. The author concentrates on the story of this particular young woman, because she figured more clearly in the historical records than others. Her primary source is first and foremost Polaris Captain Hall's extensive accounts on his various expeditions, providing a detailed portrait of the Inuit couple over several decades. He led the failed Polaris expedition (1872-73) until his death on ship in 1872. To these reports Nickerson adds Lt. George Tyson's field notes and his subsequently published book on his experience on the Polaris and later on, when he took charge of part of the crew on an ice floe, separated from the vessel and drifting for more than six months in the icy waters. This group included Tookoolito and Ebierbing. However, Lt. George Tyson scarcely mentioned Hannah in his account of the crew's survival.

Nickerson is fully aware of the unreliability of historical sources, using the image of a lens or magnifying glass to explain: "Tip the magnifying glass slightly and the terrain of words shifts as if by tectonic upheaval[...]Add time, and the record wears away, ridge after ridge crumbling until finally there is nothing left but stardust."

From such unreliable sources, quoted throughout her book, it is difficult to perceive how Nickerson could create anything like a solid image of her heroine. It appears that her assessment may have been based more on hope and her general knowledge of Inuit women's lives than on the sources cited. For example, for her strong statement that Tookoolito "became for the floe what her people would have called a *tormaq*, an invisible ruler or guiding spirit..." and that Tookoolito's intent was "to be the driving force", Nickerson does not present any evidence that would confirm this contention. By contrast, in her condensed, yet comprehensive portrayal of the fate of numerous expeditions around the period between 1845 and 1890, and using a wide variety of sources, she emphasizes the importance of local knowledge that the (male) Inuit hunters provided and men's vital role in ensuring the ongoing food supply.

In the middle of the book, Nickerson links her personal story to with that of her research into Tookoolito's life, seeing herself on a different kind of "floe", concerned about her mother's deteriorating condition. While in other contexts this comparison might be useful, it does not appear to have any role here. There are smaller issues one can quibble with in this account as it floats between a research project and a fictional story of a heroine who may not have been as "heroic" in the described circumstances as the reader is initially led to believe. Nevertheless, the book is an enjoyable read and introduction to the fascinating history of Northern explorations. The author's style is fluid and at times poetic. [Friederike Knabe]

A bit of betwixed and between on the evaluation of this book. Well written, and a good read. Well researched. Tells its story well with the occassional tangent to explain the science or story behind the event, or the implication for future events. A few references to Inuit lore to tie the story together.

But the promise of the title to tell the story of how Tookoolito "saved" the other eighteen sailors abandoned on an iceflow for six and a half months, is unfulfilled. The story of Tookoolito could fill about a dozen pages of the book. She also spends a lot of time speculating as to what Tookoolito might have done or felt. But her actions while of the ice flow were to try and keep their shelter clean. The hunting was done by her husband, the real hero. Spends a lot of time making parallels to her dying mother who if an Inuit would have been put out on the ice flow or enclosed in an exitless igloo. Instead, extensive and expensive medical treatments are given.

If the book had been better subtitled, I'd feel better about a three star rating.

Sheila Nickerson's Midnight to the North is a refreshing combination of scholarly research and personal reflection. The bibliography and notes attest to Nickerson's meticulous research that is set forth in the book's body in a form friendly to the general reader. Brief sections in Midnight to the North are dedicated Nickerson's personal journey as she researched and wrote about Tookoolito, making the history more relevant to the present than if it were a purely academic text.

I was fascinated by this account of the doomed Hall expedition. Nickerson provides a great balance of historical context and the raw details of survival in the arctic. Although meticulously researched, the story is fast-paced and compelling. Intriguing!

Sheila Nickerson?s travel novel is about balance. The Polaris explorers had to realize that nature, tradition, and sexual cohabitation had to exist in order to see to the safety of the crew. Likewise, Nickerson?s vivid imagery and profound technique equally interweaves the words, emotions and facts of the Polaris?s harrowing experience in a fresh new way to an audience otherwise unaware of the impact that one brave female had on a historical quest for the lost Franklin expedition.
One of the focuses of the novel is the struggle between Western European and Inuit tradition. The situations that the two cultures encountered magnified the sometimes polar approach that both cultures took in regards to marriage, birth, death, and treatment to the earth. The great thing about Nickerson is that she doesn?t add personal beliefs or perspective on the biography. She states what was was and doesn?t lead the reader to absolve either sides? approach to a difficult situation.
Likewise, Nickerson equally represents the different religious beliefs. Neither Christianity nor Inuit?s beliefs are shed in a one-sided manner. Yet both are represented as an added pressure in the dividing gap between European and Inuit culture. Additionally, the separation of religious homogony only strengthens Tookoolito?s position as the glue that holds this expedition together as she stays true to her own heritage but is also open to Christianity.
In regards to writing technique, Nickerson, who is the former Poet Laureate of Alaska, balances out prosaic form with beautiful poetic imagery. For instance, Nickerson uses the available imagery of the natural communion of earth and man to add the ironic spin of making the communion between woman and earth, ?Just as the earth moves counterclockwise around the sun, so was Tookoolito moving counterclockwise, back to the Arctic, back to the swirling black hole of the white man?s dreams? (42). Nickerson?s words like these empower the fight for unknown female heroes like Tookoolito.
But as much as she creates beautifully arranged images, Nickerson doesn?t stray from the facts of the expedition. Skillfully, Nickerson shapes her own writing to strongly emulate the historical journals from John Hall and George Tyson. As I was reading, it felt like the historical passages could have been written by Nickerson herself. The pictures and illustrations were also a great balance to the tale. The extensive and exhausting research Nickerson put into this book paid off when I can read a paragraph and then turn to the next page to see a beautiful artistic recreation of what I just read. Not only did it help paint the picture it gave me a chance to see native art that is uncovered by Nickerson?s boldness to speak for the nameless.
The only criticism I have is that I didn?t really see the point for the personal anecdotes and commentary. It seems to weaken the strength of the novel. It is interesting to get a peek into the research process, but otherwise, I felt it takes away from the overall feel of the story. However, to Nickerson?s defense, whenever personal comments are made, it?s very clear that Nickerson is speaking on behalf of herself alone and never crosses the line from opinion into fact.
Otherwise, I think this is a wonderful book. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to get a clear, accurate, and underrepresented perspective on an exciting time in Arctic exploration. The book was an easy read that moved along very quickly. Thankfully, Nickerson carefully avoided making personal comments about controversial issues in regards to religion, culture, sexual treatment, or strata within the crew. Nickerson celebrates a variety of mediums in this one project. She uses both prose and poetic writing, visual art, historical fact, and cultural history while tying it together to make it relevant to contemporary readers and issues.