Tookoolito

Tookoolito (Inuktitut: Taqulittuq) (c. 1838 – December 31, 1876) known as "Hannah" among whalers of Cumberland Sound, was an Inuk woman who served as translator and guide to Charles Francis Hall, an Arctic explorer involved in the search for Franklin's lost expedition in the 1860s and 1870s. Her husband, Joseph Ebierbing (Inuktitut: Ipiirviq):, known as "Joe," worked alongside her as a guide and hunter, and they both accompanied Hall on the United States Polaris Expedition.

Tookoolito was born at Cape Searle in the Cumberland Sound or Qikiqtaaluk Region, or Baffin Island area. Her brother, Eenoolooapik, traveled in 1839 with whaler William Penny to Aberdeen. Other relatives, Totocatapik and Kur-king, were also renowned as travelers.

In 1852, Tookoolito began learning English from a British whaler, William Barron.

Tookoolito, with her husband and children, traveled extensively through the Arctic, and to England and the United States.

In 1853, a whaling captain named John Bowlby (sometimes called Thomas Bowlby), brought her with Ebierbing and an unrelated child, Akulukjuk ("Harlookjoe"), to England. The three Inuit were exhibited in various venues throughout the north of the country (see Human zoo). They were eventually brought to London, where they were received by Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle. She and Ebierbing dined with the Queen and Prince Albert. Unlike many less scrupulous showmen, Bowlby returned the group to the Arctic.

In 1860, the explorer Charles Francis Hall met Tookoolito and Ebierbing, hiring them as translator and guide on his first expedition to search for remains of the Franklin expedition. Local inhabitants led him to the remains of the Frobisher expedition instead. Sidney Budington captained the expedition's ship, the George Henry.

...
Wikipedia