Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-01-24
LITTLE MARIE PEARY.
The Explorers Daughter Who Was
Born in Greenland

Born in Greenland.
Little Miss Marie Ahnighito Peary
is now again in the strange land Of her
birth, far away amid the cleaning ice
| fields of the north and surrounded
once more by her kindly friends, the
| Eskimos. For little Marie was born
farther north than any white child in
the world, during one of her fathers
expeditions to northern Greenland
She was born on September r., 1898
at Anniversary Lodge, then Lieuten-
ant Peary's headquarters in northern
Greenland.
Anniversary Lodge was built by
Lieutenant Peary and the members OF
his expedition in the summer of 1898.
1t Was situated upon Bowdoin bay and
was built of wood which was carried
up in the steamer Falcon
1t was on July 20 last that Marie and
her mother sailed from St Johns
Newfoundland, on the staunch ship
the Windward, to join Lieutenant
Peary i'll the frozen north. The
Windward was the ship that carried
the Jackson-Harmsworth expedition to
the Arctic regions in 1895, and was
presented to Lieutenant Peary by Mr..
Alfred HarmswOTth. It If a strong and
Well-built steamer, and is especially
adapted for the rough, hard service to
be met with in the Arctic regions. The
ships destination was Etah, an inlet
in Smiths sound, we'll up the coast of
Greenland. Here Lieutenant Peary
has established his Headquarters. and
here it was expected that he would be
found by his wife and little daughter.
During the spring and early summer
the great explorer was to have made a
dash with dogs and sleds up into the
uttermost confines of the north in an
attempt to discover the pole. By the
time that the Windward would reach
Etah, some time in August, it was ex.
pected that Lieutenant Peary would
have returned from his adventurous
trip. Here, then, joyful surprise
would be in store for him, for he did
not know that his wife and little
daughter would join him again In
Greenland, and did not expect to see
them again until his return to the
United States.
This is Marie Ahnighitos second
visit to Greenland since she left that
country in her infancy, In the sum
mer of 1897 she made trip to the
Arctic regions with her father and
mother. The main object of this ex.
pedltion was to secure a large meteO.
rite which the Eskimos had discovered
to Lieutenant Peary on one of his
former expeditions. The meteorite.
weighing about 80 tons, was secured
and brought to New York, where it is
now on exhibition at the United States
Navy Yard at Brooklyn. One of the
members of this expedition of 1897.
Mr.. Albert Operti, the well-known Arc.
tic artist, told me how the little Marie
was received by her Eskimo friends.
who had not seen her since she was
IL months old. She at that time was
four years of age. Of course, Marie
could hardly be expected to remember
the Eskimo, but they had not forgot.
ten her, and many time had she
been subject Of conversation among
them, especially during the long, dark
polar night, when there is little to
hunt, and consequently for the Eski.
mos little to do.
An Eskimo named Keshu was the
first to reach the ship, and his oily
face fairly shone with delight as he
greeted Lieutenant Peary. For the
explorer had always treated the Eski-
mos with much kindness, and he is
held in the greateIt esteem by them.
When Keshu reached the ship he
shouted and danced to express his joy,
and his delight was unbounded when
the nurse held up little Marie in her
arms. He recognized the child at once,
Notwithstanding the change that a few
years had made in her appearance, and
he danced about her so vigorously in
his excess of delight and kept up such
a succession of shouts that Marie at
first was somewhat alarmed. But
perhaps memories, long forgotten,
came back to her and soothed her
fears.
keshu was quickly followed by all
the inhabitants of Cape York who
were able to JUMP along the ice, and
they gathered in a ring around Marie,
their faces shining with pleasure, and
all calculating in chorus: ma, ma,
mana, nana!" which is an Eskimo
greeting of welcome and expressive of
great delight.-Ledger Monthly.