Henson's Work with the Inuit and Gaining Crewmates' Respect

As argued by Dr. S. Allen Counter in his book North Pole Legacy: Black, White & Eskimo before Matthew Henson joined Peary on the 1891 Arctic expedition, Henson's first, he was trying to find a way to be accepted by "the educated, successful blacks of Washington and Philadelphia" and now that he is headed to an area of the world "where no one, white or black" has ever stepped foot, he felt vindicated. In the Arctic with the Inuit, Henson, in a way, had the opportunity to be freer and more independent. Some crewmembers had some issue with this because of the easy acceptance of Henson's behavior by Peary. In the United States never would this kind of relationship have been accepted due to the enactment of the Jim Crow laws, which were segregation laws that stripped any rights gained by African Americans after the Emancipation Proclamation.


With gaining the respect of Robert Peary, Henson was determined to be useful not only on the ship, but on the expedition. Learning the language of the Inuit early on in their expeditions to the Arctic was key for Henson as described by Counter. From the 1891 expedition to the Arctic, Henson began working with a group of Inuit, the native people of Greenland, to learn their language and how to hunt and build/drive sledges in addition to basic cold weather survival skills. Henson would be the only one in any of Peary's expedition parties to learn the language and gain a rapport with the Inuit and to be completely accepted by them. Having the opportunity to prove himself useful to Peary, Henson gained the respect he was looking for.


Image Caption: This photograph titled "Matt Henson (of Peary's crew) in Arctic costume on deck of the "Roosevelt" on arrival at Sidney, Nova Scotia" was taken of Henson in Arctic gear in 1906 with equipment for the second to last expedition, courtesy of the Library of Congress.