KNUD RASMUSSEN
In less than two years from now, in 2021, it will be one-hundred years ago since Knud Rasmussen set out on his Fifth Thule Expedition, which focussed primarily on Arctic Canada. Perhaps you have read about it in his book DEN STORE SLÆDEREJSE, which was a bestseller in Denmark, and which has been re-issued in various editions over the years, due to popular demand. The book (which would be translated The Great Sled Journey), is actually a short popular version of his official scientific Fifth Thule Report. Between September 1921 and December 1924 the Fifth Thule Expedition explored vast areas of Arctic Canada, laying the foundation for many later explorations. The Expedition included Greenlanders as well as Peter Freuchen, next in command, and Therkel Mathiassen, an archaeologist and anthropologist. Mathiassen carried out excavations near Repulse Bay which eventually established that the roots of contemporary Inuit culture lay in an earlier NeoEskimo culture which he called Thule. By sled Knud Rasmussen and a smaller team traveled by dog team across Northern Canada, following the shore of the Arctic Ocean to Alaska, en route collecting geographic and ethnographic information as well as artifacts. The findings of the Fifth Thule Expedition were compiled into the ten-volume series Report of the Fifth Thule Expedition, which still today is considered a treasure and an indispensable source for Arctic studies. The ethnographic reports are highly valued as they describe the culture, customs, habits and beliefs of the Inuit of the North. Knud Rasmussen, born in Greenland, spoke Greenlandic and was therefore able to communicate with the Inuit of Arctic Canada in their own language, as the languages of the Inuit up north are in many ways similar to Greenlandic. In the time to come the Danish Federation will strive to disseminate information about Knud Rasmussen and his Fifth Thule Expedition to members of the Danish community and above all to the public at large. During the anniversary of the Expedition we must do our best to commemorate and celebrate this historic and ground-breaking exploration, bringing awareness of it to the general public. The contribution that the Danes and Greenlanders on this Expedition made to the history and knowledge of Arctic Canada is truly remarkable, and should be better known. Rolf Buschardt Christensen President, Federation of Danish Associations in Canada 613-747-9764 robuch@ca.inter.net Knud Rasmussen Greenlander Polar Explorer Born: June 7, 1879 Ilulissat, Greenland Died: December 21, 1933 (aged 54) Gentofte, Denmark more information: www.britannica.com/biography/Knud-Rasmussen
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