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.



lunes, 21 de mayo de 2012

TIERRAS DE MISERIA/LANDS OF MISERY

Siempre he estado fascinado por el relato apasionante de John Franklin sobre la expedición a la costa norte de América de 1819. El relato es una fascinante descripción de un larguísimo viaje inmersos en plena naturaleza. El viaje transcurre ascendiendo ríos en canoas, atravesando enormes e infinitos lagos, haciendo innumerables porteos arrastrando las canoas y todo el equipo en los tramos más difíciles, pescando, cazando caribús, renos, perdices, etc.

Aquella expedición no tuvo desperdicio, desde las complicadas negociaciones del comandante Franklin con el jefe de la tribu india que les acompaña, Akaitchco, las negociaciones por obtener recursos de las dos compañías de comercio de pieles enfrentadas de la zona (la compañía del Noroeste y la compañía de la Bahía de Hudson), la rivalidad entre dos de los oficiales británicos (George Back y Robert Hood) por el amor de una india de belleza indescriptible (Green stockings) hasta el punto de que llegaron a retarse en duelo,  el asesinato de uno de ellos,. Robert Hood,  por uno de los participantes Canadiense de origen Iriquois, el abandono irremediable de varios compañeros Canadienses agotados en el camino cuando todos se encontraban al límite de sus fuerzas, etc.

Siempre he imaginado como podría ser aquel entorno en el cual la expedición transitaba, especialmente durante sus peores momentos, por las descripciones de George Back y del propio John Franklin el terreno denominado Barren Grounds. en español Tundra poco o nada tenía que ofrecer a los exploradores, tan solo y en latitudes ya lejanas de la costa aparecían pequeños grupos de árboles aislados que ofrecían cierto cobijo y la posibilidad de hacer fuego para calentarse. No olvidemos que desde mediados de agosto cuando todavía la expedición se encontraba en el estuario de Bathurst ya se empezaban a producir heladas y nevadas ocasionales, a partir de entonces comenzaba el otoño que rápidamente se convertiría en un crudo invierno, uno de los más duros de la época.

Concretamente he estado investigando en que lugar exacto acamparon el Dr. Richardson, John Hepburn y Robert Hood cuando este finalmente fue asesinado por Michel. Lamentablemente Google earth no ofrece imágenes detalladas de la zona en cuestión, y en función de la descripción y el mapa de Franklin (el cual encaja relativamente bien con las imágenes de satélite) parece que el lugar del campamento donde se produjo la tragedia podría distar unas 10 millas más o menos de los rápidos que habían cruzado dos días antes en dirección sur sur oeste (aunque es difícil de precisar porque Franklin menciona las primeros seis millas recorridas el día 5 de octubre, pero no la distancia recorrida el día 6 que debió ser considerablemente menor debido a la necesidad de hacer continuas paradas y a que el terreno debía ser bastante agreste. Considerando todo esto y midiendo la distancia de 10 millas me he aventurado a ubicar la zona del campamento aquí:


El punto rojo sería el lugar del campamento y la flecha el paso del rápido.

I´ve been always fascinated by the thrilling story of John Franklin about the expedition to the north America shores in 1819. The story is a fascinating description of a very long journey immersed in the very heart of nature.  The voyage pass surmounting rivers in canoes, crossing huge and infinite rivers, doing uncountable portages dragging the canoes and the full equipment in the most hard places, fishing, hunting, deer, rein deer, partridges, etc.
On that expedition didn´t fault nothing, from the complicated negotiations with the commander Franklin with the chief of the Indian tribe who were accompanying them, Akaitchco, the negotiations to obtain resources from the both companies of the area (the Northwest Company and the Hudson Bay Company), the rivalry between two of the British officers (George Back y Robert Hood) by the love of an Indian of indescribable beauty (Green stockings) till the point that both challenge each other to a duel, the killing of one of them, Robert Hood, by one of the Canadian companions of Iriquois origin, the irremediable abandon of several exhausted Canadian companions when all of them were near the limit of their force, etc.
I´ve always imagined how can be that environment ion which the expedition passed, specially while their worst moments, by the descriptions of George Back and of John Franklin, the terrain called Barren Grounds, few or nothing had to offer to the explorers, only and in low latitude far from the coastline arosed little groups of lonely trees that offer certain some shelter and the possibility to make fire to warm themshelves. Don´t forget that from the mid of august, when the expedition still remains on the Bathurst inlet began to freezing and snowing occasionally, from that time to on the autumn began and fast it became on a hard winter, one of the hardest of that time.
Specifically I´ve been investigating the exact place where the Dr. Richardson, john Hepburn and Robert Hood camped when he was finally killed by Michel. Regrettably, Google earth don’t offer detailed images of the area, and from the description and map of Franklin (which  fits relatively fine with the satellite photographs) it seems that the place of the camp where the tragedy happened could be 10 miles from the rapids they crossed two days before on south southwest direction (though is hard to precise because Franklin mention only the first 6 miles of the October 5 but no the distance corresponding the 6 which had to be pretty lesser ought to the necessity to stop frequently  and because the terrain should be harder, Considering this and measuring the distance of 1o miles i´ve adventured myself to place the camp here:
(watch above)
the red pint is the place of the camp and the arrow the rapids.


2 comentarios:

  1. !Muy interesante! Great job on pinpointing those two locations.

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  2. ¡Muchas gracias! I forgot to label the places that surround the camp. The big lake which is located on the right side flowing from northwest to south east direction is the Providence Lake, the rapids are called "obstruction rapids". The place where Dr. Richardson almost perished trying to cross the rapids, swimming on cold water till exhaustion when their companions dragged him (just on time) with a rope when he didn´t feel nothing in his limbs anymore.

    The big lake at the left side is called "Starvation lake".

    I want to retrace their itinerary of this part considering the morphology of the terrain, slopes, etc. from here:

    http://www.canmaps.com/topo/nts50/topomap/086a16.htm

    Taking into account that i suppose they wanted to avoid the worst slopes and prefered to walk into the valleys because their poor physical condition, and (if i can obtein more data of the area) locate the black hills they pass (which Franklin mentioned) and perhaps the group of willows where they accamped. though I suppose those same willows doesn´t already exist, because they don´t usally lives more than 60 years, but probably others have been replacing them till now. The result however will be, i am afraid, just a product of my imagination. Pero es divertido.

    The map of John Franklin is this:

    http://www.gutenberg.org/files/18985/18985-h/images/map3.png

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