A comparative analysis of the Su-pung-er and Bayne testimonies related to the Franklin expedition

Bibliographic Data

ID9219285
AuthorsTom Gro (0000-0001-8353-7388), Tom Gross, Russell S Taichman (0000-0002-7890-0020, University of Michigan)
Year2017
Volume53
Issue6
Pages561-579
Publication date2017-11-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePolar Record (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0032-2474 • E-ISSN: 1475-3057
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0032247417000535
OpenAlexW2766174213
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited6

During Charles Francis Hall's second Arctic expedition (1864–1869) to find survivors and/or documents of Sir John Franklin's 1845 Northwest Passage expedition, two separate Inuit testimonies were recorded of a potential burial vault of a high-ranking officer. The first testimony was provided by a Boothia Inuk named Su-pung-er. The second testimony was documented by Captain Peter Bayne who, at the time, was employed by Hall. To date the vault has not been found. Recently, both the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror have been located. The discovery of these vessels was made possible, in part, by Inuit testimony of encounters with and observations of the Franklin expedition. The findings of the Erebus and Terror have significantly bolstered the view that the Inuit accurately reported their observations and interactions with the Franklin crew. The purpose of this paper is to publish in their entirety Hall's notes from conversations with Su-pung-er focused on the vaults and to compare these observations to those reported in the Bayne testimony. It is our hope that in so doing the final major archaeological site of the Franklin expedition may be located

Archaeology · Vault (architecture) · Arctic and Russian Policy Studies · History · Polar Research and Ecology · Space Exploration and Technology

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