KABLOONAS

KABLOONAS
Burial of John Franklin. Author: me

KABLOONAS

Kabloonas is the way in which the Inuit who live in the north part of Canada call those who haven´t their same ascendency.

The first time i read this word was in the book "Fatal Passage" by Ken McGoogan, when, as the result of the conversations between John Rae and some inuit, and trying to find any evidence of the ill-fated Sir John Franklin Expedition, some of then mentioned that they watched how some kabloonas walked to die in the proximities of the river Great Fish.

I wish to publish this blog to order and share all those anecdotes that I´ve been finding in the arctic literature about arctic expeditions. My interest began more than 15 years ago reading a little book of my brother about north and south pole expeditions. I began reading almost all the bibliography about Antarctic expeditions and the superknown expeditions of Scott, Amundsen, Shackleton, etc. After I was captured by the Nansen, Nobile and Engineer Andree. But the most disturbing thing in that little book, full of pictures, was the two pages dedicated to the last Franklin expedition of the S.XIX, on that moment I thought that given the time on which this and others expeditions happened, few or any additional information could be obtained about it. I couldn´t imagine that after those two pages It would be a huge iceberg full of stories, unresolved misteries, anecdotes, etc. I believe that this iceberg, on the contrary than others, would continue growing instead melting.



viernes, 18 de mayo de 2012

MAS SOBRE JOHN HEPBURN/ MORE ABOUT JOHN HEPBURN


Uno de los homenajes de Sir John Franklin a este excepcional hombre, John Hepburn, fue bautizar con su nombre una de las islas descubiertas en su viaje de exploración de 1819 en busca del paso del noroeste ,en la cual participó cuando contaba con 25 años y donde ejerció un papel de vital importancia. La isla de Hepburn es una desolada isla frente a la costa norte de América.  La isla tiene un tamaño considerable, unos 16 km de largo por 2,3 en su parte más ancha y está deshabitada.

Joseph Rene Bellot pasó largo tempo en el transcurso de la expedición de Kennedy del año 1851 en busca de John Franklin hablando con John Hepburn (que contaba en aquel entonces con 62 años) hasta el punto de llegar a referirse a el como un buen amigo. Este le fascinaba con historias sobre los indios, anécdotas sobre como John Franklin, él y el resto de compañeros disfrutaban viendo como  los lobos cazaban ciervos y algunas confrontaciones entre estos y los hombres de la expedición, entre sus conversaciones también surgió la rivalidad surgida en la exoedición de Franklin del 1819 entre George Back y Robert Hood por el amor de una india (que por cierto debía de ser de una belleza excepcional, por lo que se deduce de todos los diarios de aquella expedición),  fué el propio Hepburn quien vació por la noche las pistolas de los contendientes enamorados que se habían retado a duelo por ella. También pasaron largo tiempo hablando  sobre su estancia en Van Diemens Land con los Franklin. Además su experiencia en el ártico fué de gran ayuda en la expedición de Kennedy en cuanto a la mejora de los botes.

En el diario de Joseph René aparecen numerosas referencias hacia su persona. Joseph Rene describiría a John Hepburn como un hombre que aborrecía la abominaciones de la guerra debido a su honesta naturaleza. En este diario se menciona como Hepburn reconoce que su salud se vió muy debilitada durante el transcurso de la expedición de 1819. Parece ser que Hepburn además era hijo de un importante accionista de la compañía de la bahía de Hudson y sobrino del conde de S.,  

En fin sobre esto y sobre su estancia en la tierra de Van Diemen y su relación allí con John Franklin seguiré investigando, sobre todo, y dada la cercana relación con este último, querría averiguar porque no participó en la fatídica expedición. Quizás por remordimientos de no haber estado junto a Franklin, John Hepburn se viera obligado a participar de una forma directa en los intentos de rescate de su amigo.

One of the tributes of John Franklin to this exceptional man, John Hepburn, was give his name to an island discovered in his exploration journey of 1819 looking for the Northwest passage,  when he was 25 years old, and where he done a vital role. The Hepburn Island is a desolated island in front of the north America shore. The island has a considerable size, of 16 km length by 2,3 width in his wider part and it is uninhabited.
Joseph Rene Bellot spent long time during the Kennedy expedition in 1851 looking for John Franklin speaking with John Hepburn (who was 62 years old then) at such point that he refers to him as a good friend. This man fascinated him with stories about the Indians, anecdotes about how John Franklin, he and the rest of the companions enjoyed  watching how the wolves hunted deer  and dome of the confrontations between them and the men of the expedition, between their conversations arose the subject about the rivalry between George Back and Robert Hood to obtain the love of an indian woman (which, by the way should be of an exceptional beauty as all the journals of that expedition can be deduced), it was John Hepburn who at night  empty the guns of the fallen in love contenders who have been challenged themselves to a duel for her. They spend also long time speaking about his stay in Van Diemen Land with the “Franklins”. Besides, his experience in the arctic was of great help in the Kennedy expedition in the improvement of the boats.
In the Joseph René journal are numerous references to his person. Joseph René would describe to John Hepburn as a man who hates the abominations of the wars because his honest nature. Is in this journal where Hepburn recognize that his health was very affected during the expedition of 1819. It seems that Hepburn was also the son of a shareholder of the Hudson Bay Company and the nephew of a Earl.
Well, about this and about his stay in Van Diemen Land and his relationship there with John Franklin I will continue investigating over all, and because his close relationship with the latter, o would like to discover why he didn´t take part in the fateful expedition. Perhaps by his own remorse of not having been with John Franklin, John Hepburn would be forced by himself to participate directly in the rescue expeditions.

2 comentarios:

  1. What a gallant fellow. Thank you for sharing his remarkable story!

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  2. A really very good boy, seems to be.

    I am looking for more about him in the book "Arctic Artist: The journals and paintings of George Back" (which in fact i haven´t already got but I am reading it from the preview of google books, je je or ha ha!).

    I suppose that I will buy it soon in "amazon", the watercolors he painted in that expedition are impressive and those who painted Robert Hood before being killed are notable also.

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