Peter Martin

These two maps allow us to think critically about Indigenous involvement in the historical production of cartographic knowledge.

The first map was drawn in a personal journal kept by the British naval officer Clements Markham during his time serving as Midshipman on board the HMS Assistance as part of the 1850-51 search for the missing ships Erebus and Terror. The top portion, labelled (1), was redrawn from a map produced by Lieut. Elliot and was likely included to aid prospective readers in situating Markham’s account geographically. The bottom portion, labelled (2), meanwhile is attributed to an individual named “Erasmus York.” York was in fact a member of the Indigenous Inughuit community of Northern Greenland who had been abducted by the crew of the Assistance During the expedition. Also named “Kallihirua”, the Inuk acted as a guide in helping to navigate the ship through the dangerous Arctic waters. Kallihirua thus contributed various types of geographical knowledge to the naval officers following his abduction and this map serves as tangible evidence of the various knowledge sharing practices that took place on board the Assistance during its journey northwards.

The second map appears in a guide to the Arctic regions entitled Arctic Geography and Ethnology (1875) that was produced for the members of the 1875 British Arctic Expedition. The map is in fact a reproduction of the one drawn in Clements Markham’s personal journal. While a note at the bottom explains that it had been drafted by the lithographer Edward Waller, the map’s title once again attributes its creation to “Kalliherua (alias Erasmus York).” It is important to note though that the map has clearly been edited to conform more closely to British cartographic conventions. Shading and textures have been added to represent the various geographical features situated along the coastline, and labels identifying the locations of different flora and fauna are now positioned at various points. These alterations thus call into question Kallihirua’s supposed authorship of the map and force us to ask why Markham was keen to invoke his Indigenous cartographic knowledge. The map can therefore be understood as an act of "Indigenous ventriloquism" whereby travelers presented Indigenous knowledge in particular ways in order to support their own claims, reputation, and geographical authority.

Peter Martin is a Postdoctoral Research Associate and Bye-Fellow in Geography at the University of Cambridge. He is currently working on the European Research Council funded Arctic Cultures project which is based at the Scott Polar Research Institute. His research focuses on the historical geographies of Arctic exploration and is influenced by a range of literatures including critical exploration studies, histories of science, postcolonial studies and intellectual history. Peter joined the project following the completion of his PhD research which was conducted as part of an AHRC collaborative doctoral award between the University of Oxford and the RGS-IBG.