Arnarulunnguaq means ‘the little woman’, but in reality she was a ‘great woman’ who deserves a prominent place in history. Although the Fifth Thule Expedition and Knud Rasmussen have gone down in the history books as one of the most important Arctic expeditions, it is only in recent years that Arnarulunnguaq has emerged from the shadows.

Of the expedition’s 14 participants, only three completed the entire Fifth Thule Expedition: Arnarulunnguaq, her cousin Qâvigarssuaq Miteq and Knud Rasmussen. Together, they travelled 18,000 kilometres – the equivalent of half the circumference of the Earth – on foot, by dog sledge and by umiak.

An expedition sustained by strength, courage and sewing needles
On the three-year expedition, the division of responsibilities was clear. Miteq was a skilled hunter with an exceptional ability to read the ice and find the way. Knud Rasmussen was adept at communicating with Inuit communities along the route and collecting their stories, myths and legends. Arnarulunnguaq, meanwhile, played a crucial role in the expedition’s survival: sewing and repairing the participants’ clothing and kamiks. By combining their individual strengths, they were able to overcome the extreme weather and immense distances.

A woman of many talents
Arnarulunnguaq was not only skilled with a sewing needle; she also worked alongside the men, hunting, driving dog sledges, building turf houses and preparing food. In addition, she worked as Knud Rasmussen’s scientific assistant. Among other things, she documented the patterns of traditional Inuit women’s tattoos. She also collected and preserved plants and took part in archaeological excavations.

Not the only woman
While Knud Rasmussen is described extensively in the history books, only a few lines have been written about Miteq, Arnarulunnguaq and the expedition’s other Inuit participants. There were also other women on the expedition. Arnarulunnguaq was accompanied by Arqioq and Arnannguaq, who travelled with their husbands during the first part of the expedition. Arnarulunnguaq, however, was the only woman to complete the entire journey from beginning to end.

A lifelong survivor
Arnarulunnguaq had a brutal start in life. When she was seven years old, she lost her father, which was a catastrophe for her family. As the man was traditionally the family’s provider, her mother was left to support herself and her four children. There appeared to be no alternative: one of the children would have to be sacrificed. As Arnarulunnguaq was both the youngest and a girl, she was the first to be chosen.

According to Knud Rasmussen’s account, she placed a rope around her own neck to show that she understood the situation. Her brother Ajako, however, burst into inconsolable tears, and in the end their mother could not go through with it. The experience left Arnarulunnguaq with a profound gratitude for life and an openness towards other people.

Death nevertheless remained a recurring theme throughout her life. When the Fifth Thule Expedition began in 1921, Arnarulunnguaq was 25 years old. Her brother had originally been selected to take part in the expedition, but he died by suicide shortly beforehand. Knud Rasmussen therefore selected Arnarulunnguaq and her husband in his place. Tragically, her husband died of pneumonia shortly before their planned departure from Nuuk. Arnarulunnguaq nevertheless chose to embark on the expedition of a lifetime.

She herself died of tuberculosis at the hospital in Uummannaq in 1933, aged just 37 – the same year as Knud Rasmussen.

A role model for us all
For all of us at Meqqusaalik, she is an iconic woman who possessed extraordinary strength and knowledge of how to survive in the natural world. This summer, we are honouring her with a T-shirt bearing her image. She is a woman of whom we can all be proud and from whom we can draw inspiration. She also reminds us of how important we are to one another when the storm is raging outside.

As Knud Rasmussen himself said: ‘She, the only woman ever to have travelled the Northwest Passage, shall enter Danish–Greenlandic history as one who must never be forgotten.’