ILLUSTRATION | STEVE SHIPLEY
History, as they say, tends to be written by the winners. But an unfortunate aside to this is that it can often mean a subtle airbrushing of history – especially when it comes to documenting the achievements of people who didn’t quite fit certain narratives of the time.
It does feel as though we are slowly entering an era where some pioneers who broke the mould are finally being acknowledged.
Historically, the ‘great outdoors’ has been the bastion of predominantly white males usually from affluent backgrounds. Nothing wrong with that of course, as any expedition required vast amounts of money and planning, affordable by only a few privileged, but nonetheless brave, people. But it’s surely a failure not to revere the name of the African-American explorer, Matthew Henson, in the same breath as other world-renowned adventurers such as Shackleton and Scott?
Born in Maryland in 1866, Henson’s family were subjected to attacks by the Ku Klux Klan. He was orphaned by the age of 10 yet found work as a cabin boy at 12. Henson travelled the world aboard the merchant ship Katie Hines, where Captain Childs took Henson under his wing and taught him to read and write.
A chance meeting in 1887 with Commander Robert E. Peary led to Peary recruiting Henson after learning of his sea experience. Henson became Peary’s trusted ‘first man’ embarking on many expeditions together over the years with Henson forging a reputation as a skilled craftsman and learning the Inuit language. It was during Peary’s 8th attempt to reach the North Pole that he succumbed to exhaustion and whereupon Henson made the final push to reach the Pole.
The inaccuracy of Robert E Peary being credited as the first man to reach the North Pole was amended in 1937. But even now, Henson is recognised only as the ‘Co-discoverer of the North Pole’ despite it being his footprints that reached the spot first and Henson who planted the US flag in 1909.
The outdoors can be the most beautiful of levellers, changing our perspective of the world and opening our eyes and minds to empathy whilst challenging stereotypes. By championing diverse role models, we create a more accepting environment that can inspire people who otherwise may not recognise their own potential or be brave enough to break glass ceilings in an attempt to elevate themselves from less fortunate circumstances and surroundings.
