Survival

The note tied to the spoon reads:  “This teaspoon is the only one I had on the 1894 ice cap dash for the Pole.  This & my hunting knife were the only tools to eat with I had with me.  I had a string in the hole in handle & tied it around my neck inside my shirt & when needed pulled it out stirred my tea & returned it.  S.J. Entrikin”  Survival, of course, is about more than a few tools.

Samuel Entrikin like some other explorers respected Inuit knowledge about how to adapt to Arctic conditions.  Here he is photographed in a seal skin suit made in Greenland.  He often wore it when giving his lectures to help set the stage.

With centuries of experience in the Arctic climate, Inuit traditionally dressed in tight-fitting, double-layer parkas with hood, double-layer trousers, stockings, mittens, and boots.  These parkas and trousers  were usually made of caribou, or sometimes polar bear, as their hairs were hollow allowing for air insul