“Wilderness lay on every side. It is a land of rich woodlands, wild mountains, and glittering rivers.”
This was how Helge Ingstad described the landscape he saw from the small plane that brought him into the remote region of Alaska, where he came to live with a group of 65 Eskimos in the winter of 1949–50.
“Our course was set for the Brooks Mountains, which stretch like a huge wall for 500 miles across the country from west to east and are among the wildest and least-known parts of Alaska. The central region is called the Endicott Mountains, and there lay my goal: a small group of Eskimos called the Nunamiuts, who live quite alone in the heart of the range. My intention was to settle among them, live their life, and try to get a picture of their culture,” Ingstad wrote in his book, “Nunamiut: Among Alaska’s Inland Eskimos.”
Ingstad had already trapped in the Canadian Arctic, served as governor in Greenland, and lived among the Apache in Arizona by the time he arrived at Anaktuvuk Pass in 1949. He became the first non-native to live among the Nunamiut people of Anaktuvuk Pass for an extendet period of time, and quickly earned their respect for his self-sufficiency and his ability to adapt to native ways.
The Nunamiut were semi-nomadic hunters of caribou, who traveled by dog-team and sled in winter, and on foot in summer. They lived in tents of caribou skin, and roamed the land in pursuit of game. They had just began to re-settle the area when Ingstad arrived, and became, in fact, the last of North America’s nomadic peoples to settle into village life.
By virtue of his vitality, personality, and hunting ability, Ingstad was readily adopted into the community, and a strong bond of friendship was formed.
“A tall handsome fellow took my rucksack, motioned with his head toward the settlement, and said: 'You come.' This was [Simon] Paneak, who was later to become my special friend.”
Paneak’s son George, was 5 years old when Ingstad pitched his tent among the Nunamuit. Today, George Paneak is the mayor of the community, which has grown to 320 from 65 people. He remembers Ingstad well. “I remember the kindness. Helge was a caring person who fit right into our culture” recalled George Paneak, when Norwegian Ambassador Knut Vollebaek visited Anaktuvuk Pass this year.
Upon the Ambassador’s arrival, many people warmly greeted him at the town’s small runway, and then at the community hall. The mayor formally introduced Vollebaek and presented him with a pair of wolf'’s mittens, sewn by elder Rhoda Ahgook. In expressing his thanks, he remarked: “As an Ambassador, I have been the King’s representative for many years, but this is the first time I have been made to feel like a king.” Immediately afterward, drummers and singers treated the visitors to a rousing 45 minutes of Eskimo dancing, which the Ambassador enthusiastically joined, wearing his new mittens and taking a spin around the dancefloor with Rhoda.
Following the dance, the Ambassador’s group walked to the Simon Paneak Memorial Museum, to see a collection of books, tapes, films, and photographs that Ingstad gave to the village in 1980. Ingstad’s book, movie, and lecture tours, generated for the first time an awareness of the Nunamiut among the general public and the scientific community.
At the museum, Vollebaek met with the City Council and representatives of the tribal government and the village corporation, to discuss an upcoming dedication ceremony in anticipation of the official naming of Ingstad Mountain.
“We were sitting in the tent, talking about my departure. Paneak said: ‘We will give you the mountain which stands at the beginning of the Giants’ Valley. It shall bear your name, and we will remember you. Our people remember such things for many generations.’ The tone of his voice, and the thoughts which I knew lay behind his words, made me feel that this was a real and great gift from these simple people. We went out of the tent, and he pointed to the mountain. I knew it well, I had so often hunted wolves and caribou there; a fine mountain, indeed.”
Ever since that day in 1950, the 4,880-foot peak that overlooks the village has been known as Ingstad Mountain. But it has never been an official designation that could be found on maps. For this reason, residents petitioned the U.S. Board of Geographic Names when Ingstad died in 2001, at age 101. The regulations, however, state that such names cannot become official until five years after a person’s death.
According to the Anchorage Daily News, officials in Washington, D.C., said the submission meets the board’s criteria and will likely be approved, in which case a formal dedication ceremony may take place in the spring of 2006.
Photos by Arild Strømmen / Royal Norwegian Embassy
Nellie Rulland and her cousin Devlin Mekiana in Spearman’s house. Half of the 320 people living in Anaktuvik Pass are under the age of 30.
Nellie Rulland and her cousin Devlin Mekiana in Spearman’s house. Half of the 320 people living in Anaktuvik Pass are under the age of 30.
Ambassador Knut Vollebaek and his wife Ellen, flanked by Cultural Affairs Officer at the Norwegian Embassy, Trude Paulsson, and Anchorage Honorary Consul, Anton Zahl Meyer (right), and Editor Arild Strømmen (left) at the Anaktuvik Pass air-strip, in front of Ingstad Mountain.
Nellie Rulland and her cousin Devlin Mekiana in Spearman’s house. Half of the 320 people living in Anaktuvik Pass are under the age of 30.
Ambassador Knut Vollebaek and his wife Ellen, flanked by Cultural Affairs Officer at the Norwegian Embassy, Trude Paulsson, and Anchorage Honorary Consul, Anton Zahl Meyer (right), and Editor Arild Strømmen (left) at the Anaktuvik Pass air-strip, in front of Ingstad Mountain.
Elder Rhoda Ahgook dancing to the beat of caribou-hide drums.
Special thanks to Grant Spearman for contributing to this article. Spearman is the curator of the Simon Paneak Memorial Museum, the north american repository for Helge Ingstad's work among the Nuanmiut, containing his film, photos, slides, recorded stories, and song recordings, all of which are available to visitors to see and hear. The museum is in need of funds for its continued operation. To contribute or to receive more information, please contact Grant Spearman at grant.spearman@north-slope.org or by phone: (907) 661-3413.