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Ôdâĸ (orthographically correct actually tâĸ , according to the new spelling Oodaaq or Uutaaq ; * around 1880 ; † 1955 in Qaanaaq ) was a Greenlandic Inuk ( Inughuaq ) who probably first reached the North Pole in 1909 together with Robert Edwin Peary .

Life

Ôdâĸs mother was Ítugssârssuaĸ (around 1855–1939), who came to Greenland from Canada with her parents with Qillarsuaq . He had an older brother named Pualuna (around 1875–1955) and a younger brother named Iggiánguaĸ (around 1883–1918). He was baptized with his family in 1925, that is, his wife Kujapínguaĸ Inugtaĸ Mánik (around 1890–?) And his three sons Kûtsiakitsoĸ K'umangâpik (1903–1979), married to Natuk (1908–1971), a sister of Inuutersuaq Ulloriaq (1906–1986), Masauna Inûteĸ (1906–1929) and Iggiánguaĸ Ere Patdlipaluk Ungâĸ (1919–?).

In 1907 he took part in Peary's attempt to travel to the North Pole. They were traveling with just under a dozen people, but it was an arduous journey and soon the provisions ran out. They broke off the expedition and turned back. On the way back, they all had to eat their dogs to avoid starvation. With the last of their strength, they reached mainland Greenland, where they caught several musk oxen in order to have food again. Ôdâ was, in a sense, Peary's reserve guide on this trip. Later they met two other Greenlanders and a European who were looking for them. You were traveling with three dogs. At some point the food ran out again and these dogs also had to be eaten. Ultimately, everyone managed to get back safely, even if the expedition had failed. Others said that without Ôd’s guidance, the participants would have died.

The next attempt took place in 1909 under similar conditions. This time, however, there were fewer expedition participants. Peary (Piulersuaq) and his African-American colleague Matthew Henson (Maripaluk) as well as leaders of the Inughuit Ôdâ sein, his brother Iggiánguaĸ and the two men Uvkujâĸ and Sigdluk. According to Ôdâĸ, they managed to reach the North Pole on April 6, 1909. According to the stories told by Ítukusuk and Âpilaĸ, who accompanied Frederick Cook the previous year , he had not succeeded. On this expedition a rescue team consisted of the American Ross G. Marvin , Iggiánguaĸs brother-in-law Inukitsupaluk (1890–1967) (the grandfather of Ûssarĸak K'ujaukitsoĸ ) and his cousin K'itdlugtôĸ (around 1887–1932) (his wife Arnaluaĸ Ôdâĸs Niece was). During the expedition, Marvin was murdered by K'itdlugtôĸ.

Ôdâĸ was highly regarded for his achievements in Greenland and the USA. He received a medal of merit from the Danish king. Finally, he died of flu in 1955 in Qaanaaq Hospital. The island of Oodaap Qeqertaa is named after him.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Michael Hauser : Traditional Inuit Songs from the Thule Area . Ed .: Museum Tusculanum Press. 2010, ISBN 978-87-635-2589-3 , pp. 178 .
2. ^ Church records Thule 1909-1939 (various places)
3. ↑ Inuutersuaq Ulloriaq : Hvad har man hørt om de første Nordpolsfarere in the Tidsskriftet Grønland (1984/3)