Kenn Harper speaks Wednesday on Knud Rasmussen’s Arctic journey

Author, historian and Nunatsiaq News contributor Kenn Harper will hold a talk in Ottawa Wednesday describing and celebrating the Fifth Thule Expedition of Knud Rasmussen that occurred close to a century ago.

A portrait of Knud Rasmussen, Danish-Greenlandic ethnographer and writer, posed in furs. He led the Fifth Thule Expedition to the Inuit of Arctic North America from 1921 to 1924. (Photo courtesy of the Kenn Harper Collection)

Throughout the early 1900s, Rasmussen, a Danish-Greenlandic explorer, dreamed of visiting Inuit in the most isolated areas of North America. He wanted to document Inuit beliefs and experiences before the influx of missionaries, traders and adventurers changed the North.

Rasmussen set out in 1921 accompanied by four Danes, one Greenlander, and six Inughuit on a three-year journey by dogsled across the North from Danish Island in what’s now Nunavut to East Cape, Siberia.

Harper has written extensively on Rasmussen’s travels in his Taissumani column, which appears in Nunatsiaq News, and is the author of several books. In celebrating the centennial of Rasmussen’s journey, Harper will delve into the explorer’s achievement and its legacy.

The event is part of the Can Geo talks series, hosted by Canadian Geographic and the Royal Canadian Geographic Society, at the Alex Trebek Theatre at 50 Sussex Dr. at 7 p.m.

Pre-registration is encouraged. It is a pay-what-you-can event, with donations helping Canadian Geographic to deliver more programming. Registration is online at canadiangeographic.ca.