Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1909-02-11
ESKIMO TO HUNTPOLE
How Meme Keeshoo Hopes to
Find Arctic Explorers Goal.

iN ~ -NHiOI VI NSob
WILL STUDY SURVEYING FIRST
Only Survivor Of Family Peary
Brought From Greenland to America
Thinks He Can Lead Successful Es-
kimo Expedition.
Pleased beyond measure with his
success in obtaining Il scholarship at
Manhattan college, New York. Meme
Keeshoo. the only north Greenland
Eskimo living in Il civilized country
and the sole survivor of the first Es-
kimos brought to the United States by
Commander Peary in 1895, was con-
tending he other night at the Grand
Union hotel, in New York, with a
number of conflicting emotions. First.
and perhaps foremost, is his ardent
desire to return to his native ountr
and with an expedition composed en-
tirely of Eskimos to reach the north
pole.
Meme, who is eighteen years old, is a
typical Eskimo, With a decidedly vel
low skin, almond shaped eyes and Jet
black hair. With all that Meme is a
handsome boy.
Asked what was his idea in taking
a college course and how such an edu.
cation could be utilized in Greenland,
Mene's face frightened at the mention
of the icebound continent.
II would like to return to my people
and sec if l could help them. have
never forgotten my people, although l
have not seen them since l was taken
from my playmates when l was six
years old and brought by Commander
Peary to New York"
When it was pointed out to him that
there would appear to be little or no
demand for the activities of a civil ell
9ineer in Greenland he said:
My ~pcople-thcy always have tried
to help the white man reach the pole.
White men have not reached it prin-
cipally because the Eskimos will never
tell the white Il all they know. The
Eskimos don't know today what Com
mander Peary is looking for. He isn't
able 10 explain it to the Eskimos.
They have no knowledge of geography.
They see his ship and think it from
some fairyland filled with crackers and
coffee.
Now. | think | can find the pole
after get my civil engineering knowl-
edge. First | will go back to Green
land and learn my language again. My
people would tell me things they would
tell to no white man about the best
way to reach the north pole. They
don't know how great a thing ii would
be to find it. but l can tell them all
that and make them understand that
hunt for it until we find it. Too much
time is spent now by explorers coming
back to the United States to tell poo
pie how cold it is up there and how
they had to buck the ice. The Eski-
mo knows it is cold up there, but he
is used to it, and he doesn't know any.
thing about writing books about the
north. The only way to find it is to
go as far as possible one season. make
a permanent camp there instead of
coming back to write a book or maya.
zine article. and push farther the
next season. That's what | want to
do, and | believe With an expedition
of my people | can do it. The Us
kimo doesn't know how to lecture. |
can learn how to read Instruments so
that | can know when ! have found
the pole. and the Eskimos will stick to
me until | do find it. There is a lot of
time lost in coming back to the United
States to talk about the ice.
Not only do want to be the one to
discover the pole. but l also want to
explore the vast unknown tracts of
Greenland. which has more country I'M
eNnlcr@d by man than any other land.
also want to write a history of my
people ard of Greenland and believe |
can get much from them in the way of
folklore and ancient customs"
1t WAS this realization of the fact
that he must take Il course in survey
ing to enable him to ascertain his eX-
act position on the earth which decided
him in the matter of accepting the
scholarship obtained for him by Harry
Y. Radford. IN arctic explorer.
Mr.. Radford said: 81 have known
Meme only Il few days, but have every
confidence in him. / do not think it is
too much to say that he may be a
veritable Moses among his people-or
should we say a Peary?'
"Just let it rest at Meme" said Meme,
with a grin.