KABLOONAS

KABLOONAS
Burial of John Franklin. Author: me

KABLOONAS

Kabloonas is the way in which the Inuit who live in the north part of Canada call those who haven´t their same ascendency.

The first time i read this word was in the book "Fatal Passage" by Ken McGoogan, when, as the result of the conversations between John Rae and some inuit, and trying to find any evidence of the ill-fated Sir John Franklin Expedition, some of then mentioned that they watched how some kabloonas walked to die in the proximities of the river Great Fish.

I wish to publish this blog to order and share all those anecdotes that I´ve been finding in the arctic literature about arctic expeditions. My interest began more than 15 years ago reading a little book of my brother about north and south pole expeditions. I began reading almost all the bibliography about Antarctic expeditions and the superknown expeditions of Scott, Amundsen, Shackleton, etc. After I was captured by the Nansen, Nobile and Engineer Andree. But the most disturbing thing in that little book, full of pictures, was the two pages dedicated to the last Franklin expedition of the S.XIX, on that moment I thought that given the time on which this and others expeditions happened, few or any additional information could be obtained about it. I couldn´t imagine that after those two pages It would be a huge iceberg full of stories, unresolved misteries, anecdotes, etc. I believe that this iceberg, on the contrary than others, would continue growing instead melting.



jueves, 19 de julio de 2012

ROBERT HOOD

Now that I am finishing the book "To the Arctict by Canoe" by C.Stuart Houston, I am even more intrigued with the life of Robert Hood. There is something in his history which capture my attention and spellbound me.
Yes, I´ve taken a picture of my book.

The manner in which that young Irish (or english-irish) man of nearly 24 years old write full of irony, wit and sarcasm, his unfinished narration of the journey, the realistic descriptions of the Indians and their behaviour, the landscapes descriptions, his drawings and some situations which are described carry us, while reading his journal, to that places in a different way that the Narrative of Franklin of this same journey. 

And the events which happened close the circle. His love by an Indian woman, his fight to get her love with George Back, his daughter whith the Indian Greenstockings who was registered in the Fort Resolution in 1823,  his attempt to save the life (risking his own throwing himself to the wild river) of the steerman who unfortunately died drowned in the river and which he didn´t reflect on his journal, and finally his cruel assessination. Even the death of his brother George in africa, soon after his own, increase the tragedy and the "halo" of mistery and misery.
The spirit of Robert Hood was full of energy and talent, if he hadn´t died there, probably he would be nowadays between the most famous explorers linked to the northwest passage expeditions as happened with George Back.

Through his brief byography we can see that he was assigned to serve off the iberian peninsula soon after the Trafalgar Battle, (is something that I will try to analyse closer). He joined the Navy with only 12 years, and his career, though brief, was intense, he was in cape hope, in the attack of ALgier, etc. ON the journal i ´ve found a mention in which he compares one of the Canadian rivers with the Ganges, but there is no mention to any stay of him in the India. He also compares the mosquitoes with the african ones.

I supposse that I would be able to obtain more information on this article, but I can´t get it through Internet (I will continue looking for it and more information).
Article titled 'Lieutenant Robert Hood, R.N. 1797-1821' by A.G.E Jones. 

Why is not his byography in wikipedia? I tried to write it several years ago and I even write some lines but I renounce at last to complete it, in the end I am not more than an amateur...

Ahora que estoy termiando del libro "To the Arctict by Canoe" de C.Stuart Houston, estoy incluso aún mas intrigado sobre la vida de RObert Hood. Hay algo en su historia que ha capturado mi atención y me ha hechizado.

El modo en el que este joven hombre Irlandés (o Inglés Irlandés) de casi 24 años escribe, lleno de ironía, ingenio y sarcasmo, su relato inconcluso del viaje, las realísticas descripciones del comportamiento de los indios, las descripciones de los paisajes, sus dibujos y algunas situaciones que se describen nos transportan, mientras leemos su diario, a aquellos lugares de un modo diferente a como lo hace Franklin en su narración del mismo viaje.


Y los acontecimientos que cerraron el círculo. Su amor por aquella mujer India, su lucha por su amor con George Back, su hija con Greenstockings, quien fué registrada en Fort Resolution en 1823, su intento de salvar la vida del timonel que desafortunadamente murió ahogado, arriesgando la suya propia lanzándose al salvaje rio,acción que RObert Hood no reflejó en su propio diario, y finalmente su cruel asesinato. Incluso la muerte de su hermano en Africa, poco después de su propia muerte, añade un "halo" adicional de tragedia a esta historia de misterio y miseria.


El espíritu de Robert Hood estaba lleno de energía y talento, si no hubiera muerto allí, probablemente se encontraría ahora entre los mas famosos exploradores vinculados a las expediciones en búsqueda del paso del noroeste como ocurrió con George Back.
 A través de su breve biografía, podemos ver que fue asignado a servir frente a la península ibérica poco después de la batalla de Trafalgar, (es algo que intentaré analizar de cerca).. Se incorporó a la marina con solo 12 años, y su carrera, aunque breve fue muy intensa, estuvo en el cabo de buena esperanza, en el ataque de Algiers, etc. En el diario he encontrado una comentario en el cual compara un rio Canadiense con el Ganges, pero no hay menciones en su biografía a que estuviese destinado en la India anteriormente. También establece comparaciones entre los mosquitos Canadienses y los Africanos.

Supongo que sería capaz de obtener mas información de este artículo, pero no he podido encontrarlo disponible en Internet, intentaré encontrar mas información.


Article titled 'Lieutenant Robert Hood, R.N. 1797-1821' by A.G.E Jones.

19 comentarios:

  1. You should try to add his biography to Wikipedia. His story deserves to be told, and I'm sure you will do a fine job.

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  2. It´s curious, but there isn´t any draw of him, I only know this silhoutte, probably made by himself:

    http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/Arctic36-2-210.pdf

    And it is a pity, he even made a portrait of John Hepburn, the seaman who accompanied them in the expedition, and probably the only one he had ever.

    The historian Leslie Neatby compares this silhoutte with the phisical features of Franklin, and he thinks that the former is even femenine compared with the profile of Franklin, not that kind that you can expect of an explorer.

    But I don´t agree I think that the prominent nose and his large chin can be proof of a strong character and determination (if any face feature can determine such thing). And the hard scientific work he made on the journey is proof of it.

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    Respuestas
    1. Hello,
      My father is a great-great-great cousin of Lieutenant Robert Hood. If you would like any family information, then let me know.
      Vanessa

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    2. Hello,
      My father is a great-great-great cousin of Lieutenant Robert Hood. If you would like any family information, then let me know.
      Vanessa

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  3. Hi Vanessa!!! Thank you for this contact. Some time ago I contact with one of the descendants of the sister of Robert Hood, Catherine Hood. He was unaware of that fact, so you can imagine his great surprise when he knew it. It would be great knowing anything you consider that could be of interest about Robert Hood. There is a facebook site(http://www.facebook.com/groups/11434844549/)
    where some descendants of the members of the last Franklin Expedition together with researchers, writers, amateurs as me, and others are sharing interesting information about arctic explorers.

    I am sure that all of them will be very glad to count with you as a member. I signed up there recently and I am really enjoying the experience. My e-mail is aparedessal@yahoo.es.

    I am particularly interesting in two things: Is there any drawing of the face of Robert Hood? (I only know his own self portrait shiloutte) and Do you know something about what happened with the daughter of Robert and Greenstockings?.

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  4. Robert Hood's sister married The Venerable William Roe who was her first cousin. Their parents were brother and sister who married twins. Thus, William Roe came from exactly the same ancestry as Robert Hood. I have a photograph of William and his wife Catherine. I imagine Robert Hood would have been very similar physically to William. William and Catherine went back to Tipperary where he a was vicar in Rosrea.
    I have not seen a picture of Robert Hood, but I have been to the church in Bury where they have his and his brother's monument. William Roe was my father's great-great grandfather's brother.
    I am not sure what happened to the child of Greenstockings.
    Kind regards

    Vanessa Roe

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    Respuestas
    1. It is fantastic!! It would be great to see that photograph!!, I have always wonder how Robert could be physically.

      The only record about that child was in the register of Fort Resolution in Canada, you can find the reference in the "first link" I post below and in the second one the archive where it is. But I think that you have to ask for permission to see the register itself:

      First link:

      http://books.google.es/books?id=6itZBvkzd-sC&pg=PA204&lpg=PA204&dq=census+of+fort+resolution+1823&source=bl&ots=7-dCj0PHZH&sig=0xdd9jv1w-EA7LtsK-ATaUtNOyc&hl=es&sa=X&ei=ZpbtT9_pAY2q8QOwn82lDQ&ved=0CGgQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=Hood&f=false

      Second link:

      http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives/hbca/resource/post_rec/post12b.html

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  5. Robert Hood's father was the Reverend Richard Hood and according to old Church of Ireland paper's, he was distinguished for his scientific attainments. His wife was Catherine Roe. They had 6 children. Mr Kirk of Dublin erected the monument to Robert Hood and his brother George in Bury Church, Lancashire. His brother George ( in the words of my great-great-great-great grandfather, The Reverend Richard Baillie Roe who was their uncle and married to their father's twin sister, Albertina Hood)wrote that - "Lieutenant George Hood fell with many others, both officers and men, a victim of climate, while engaged in a scientific expedition to survey the Eastern coast of the Red Sea, through the incapacity or negligence of the commander Captain Owain!" George died in 1823, 2 years after Robert. Rev. Richard Baillie Roe was also the brother of Catherine Roe, Rev, Richard Hood's wife.
    Kind regards

    Vanessa Roe

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    Respuestas
    1. I am going to search for details of the expedition of the Captain Owain, to learn more things about what happened in the red sea. If you read the book, "Barrow Boys" you realise that a lot of Navy men died by disease in Africa. The poor Reverend lost two of his sons in a short time. It had to be hard times to him and to his wife.

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    2. Hi Andres,
      The first son of Reverend Richard Baillie Roe and Alberina Hood, Captain Richard Roe( my dad's great-great grandfather) was the brother of The Venerable William Roe and cousin of the Hoods. He was ship's captain in the East India Company and based at Fort William, Calcutta. I imagine he would have been quite close to Robert Hood and his family and would have written letters about his life in India. That is probably where Robert got his description of the Ganges from.

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  6. Hi Andres,
    I did a typo - I think it should read Captain Owen!! Sorry about that!The Red Sea Expedition would be around 1823. The only child of Reverend Hood to live to a ripe old age was Catherine. The others died young.

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  7. Hi Andres,
    I will try and copy the photographs etc. of William Roe and his wife, Catherine Hood when I next visit my sister( as she has a fax) and send them to you via email. Another cousin from Ireland is hopefully visiting soon and she has photos of William Roe and Catherine Hood - I will try and copy those too.

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  8. Vanessa, take a look at this film (it is not already made), is the dramatization of a book about the Coppermine expedition (someone in the facebook group warned us about its existence):

    http://www.newrealfilms.com/index.php?/indevelopment/a-discovery-of-strangers/

    The book from which it comes is this other:

    http://www.canoe.ca/AllAboutCanoes/book_strangers.html

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  9. Hi Andres,

    Thank you for that information. Would be very interesting to see the film when it is made. I had a look through some family papers the other day and found a Hood will and the Hood family crest which has on it a "drawn bow with arrow". The family motto is Alta Pete - which means Aim High.

    Did you find anything about the Red Sea expedition?
    Regards
    Vanessa

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  10. Hello Vanessa,

    As I said to you in one of my later posts I belong to a group of people (historians, archeologyst, scientists, and other amateurs (like me ) which are interested on the Polar expeditions and on the expeditions involved into the discovery of the Northwest Passage.

    I know an historian specialized in this and other matters who is interested in conctact with you. I know that he has a wide knowledge of all this issues and I think that it would be a very interesting conctact for both of you.

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  11. Dear Andres,
    Sorry it has taken me so long to reply. I would be interested to contact the historian, could you give me his name and email?

    Kind regards

    Vanessa Roe

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  12. Hi Vanessa

    I am glad of hear about you agaib. His name is Glenn Stein , e has written several articles about polar expeditions, his email is: eloasis@earthlink.net

    He and a lot of others historian, archaeologist, and other polar and arctic explorers descendants of the 19th century participate inthis facebook group, I strongly recomend you participate there. Interesting questions about those expeditions are discussed there!

    This is the site:
    http://m.facebook.com/?refsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fes-es.facebook.com%2F&_rdr#!/groups/11434844549?view=info&ref=bookmark&__user=100000243513370

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  13. Hi Andre's did you ever get an image of the wall monument as I have a image, I lived in the town to Bury, just let me know if you would like me to send one.

    Regards

    Stephen

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  14. I saw it once, and I linked it to this other post about him, but the picture is no longer available, so yes, please, I would love to see It. You could also upload it to our Pinterest board.

    http://kabloonas.blogspot.com.es/2012/06/descendencia-robert-hood.html?m=1

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