Give Me My Father's Body: The Life of Minik, the New York Eskimo

by Kenn Harper

A compelling biography of the Eskimo boy who was brought back to the U.S. by explorer Robert Peary recreates the twelve agonizing years little Minik spent living as an alien in New York City, an experience that culminates with the discovery that his father's body is on display at the Museum of Natural History. Reader's Guide available. Reprint.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, History, Anthropology, Historical, Native American, American History

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Kenn Harper is a Canadian historian, teacher, development officer, linguist, and businessman. He is an author of books on life in the high Arctic and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. His book, Give Me My Father's Body, tells the tragic yet compelling story of Minik Wallace, a member of the Inughuit or "Polar Eskimo" tribe who was taken by Robert Peary from his home in northwest Greenland to New York.
In 2005, Harper was appointed Danish Honorary Consul, a posting located in Iqaluit, Nunavut.
Harper is fluent in English, Inuktitut and conversational Danish. Harper currently lives with his wife in Iqaluit.

Reviews

[peg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Halpern's account of the exploitation of the Inuit people is horrifying and needs to be more widely publicized. I remember studying about Peary and Cook in grade school. I also remember how our history book practically deified them. Nothing was said about this sordid side of arctic exploration. I dare say much more can be learned by reading Minik's story than what is revealed in charts and grafts and journals of famous explorers. The crimes against indigenous people that were committed in the name of science were absolutely evil.

‘ They’re not safe with you. You use them. They’re people. You can’t use people..”
(The Indian in the Cupboard)

Five stars for the story, two and a half stars for the somewhat dull text.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me ages to read this book, not because the subject matter wasn't fascinating but because the writing is so dry. Give Me My Father's Body shines a light on a dark period in the history of American museums and anthropology, centered around the life of Minik Wallace, an Inuit boy taken from his home more or less as a specimen for study. I wanted very much to get into this, but the writing is incredibly dry and never really pulled me in. I am an avid reader of historical nonfiction, so the problem isn't the genre for me.

Minik not only survived being taken from his home and learning of the ruse surrounding his father's burial, but he also found himself caught in between two cultures, a perpetual other. Despite the tragedy in all this, there are few moments that have much emotional weight. You never really get enough insight into Minik as a person to feel like you know him or what he's feeling. I felt very removed from him. I'm sure the multiple chapters focusing on other "characters" didn't help. Due to the number of names and dates and timeline jumps, and you never get familiar enough with any of it to really get your bearings and feel invested.

Harper also has a glossary of Inuit terms and names in the back of the book, but unless I totally missed it there's no guidance as to how to pronounce any of them, so I found myself getting caught up at times due to the language barrier, especially when it came to names.

I'm glad I read this because it piqued my interest in reading more about the early days of Arctic exploration, the Inuit people, and the history of anthropology. That said, the book itself was a bit of a slog, and I don't entirely recommend it.

[Ruby Hollyberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing of this is not great. However, the story is. True tale of the one survivor of a group of Polar Eskimos (Inuit, we would say today) brought back to America as souvenirs by Admiral Peary. The Polar tribe literally lived at the top of the world, farther north than any other and not far from the Pole itself. Minik's father and most of the others who agreed to come could not live in the latitude of New England. Apparently their tribe is so adapted to the dry cold of the Arctic Circle that anywhere else is terribly damp and produces almost inescapable pneumonia - which eventually killed Minik as well. He lived an impossibly difficult life, fostered by an American family whose wealth turned to bankruptcy before he was grown, forced to survive on city streets as a youth, eventually managing with great difficulty to return to his tribe as an adult and being disappointed there as well. His stories of American life were so untranslatable that no one believed them, and he fell to telling whoppers on top of that. Since he was perceived as a troublemaker in the North, he returned again in defeat to America and died here. Along the way, there was the shocking and controversial event alluded to in the title: he actually went into a museum as a young man and found his own father's skeleton on display, when he had been assured as a child that the members of the party who died had been given funerals and all that was appropriate. Can you imagine?

[Cathie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic. I prefer reading non-fiction but some subjects have what seems like a million books written on them and it gets a little, hate to say it, boring, I know there are events we don't know about and this book is truly that. This story definitely shames the American Musuem of Natural History. It is so unfortunate that people in positions of responsibility what to jump to defend themselves against things they didn't do rather than just make them right. Kind of like confederate statues people for some reason feel accussed just because those were there ancestors or just because they live in the same place instead of just making it right.
So many injustices done by Minik and while I understand the need at the time to become educated, and some things that seem obvious now are only obvious because of what was done to become educated, none of that excuses the several successions of people in positions of responsibility over 100 years that could've made it right but who chose instead to simply divert blame that wasn't even being place.
I almost didn't read this because the story seemed so insignicifant I didn't have high hopes. That is a shame, this story needs a movie and much greater attention because at it's core it really isn't just about Minik. There is so much to learn about human psychology, what is our responsibility to communities we want to learn about, and what is the responsibility of successors.

[K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Page #s refer to the 2000 edition.

Often I hear of a true story that’s so interesting I know I’ll certainly read the book about it, no matter how poorly the book is written. It’s a pleasant experience to start reading and find that the book is a gem in its own right.

The author uses the term “Polar Eskimos” for the group he’s describing, because that was the historical term and because at the time he wrote this book, the debate over terminology was less settled. It seems today this group is called the Inughuit (see here) so I’ll use that term.

Give Me My Father’s Body describes the Inughuit- “the most northern native inhabitants of the world”- and what happened when white explorers like Robert Peary encountered and began to trade with them. There are three main themes here- the question of morality when it comes to social scientific research about human beings, an exploration of how we construct our identity based on our surroundings, and thoughts on how we should evaluate/use unreliable historical sources in modern research.

There’s lots of fascinating history and ethnography here, and of course heaping doses of exploitation. Harper details the tragic life of Minik, a child who left Greenland at about seven years old, bound for New York City with an explorer who would then abandon him and a few other Inughuit at the American Museum of Natural History where they became a sort of morally abhorrent “living exhibit.”

Predictably, but no less tragically, they (save two, including Minik) got sick and passed away in that winter of 1897-1898. Minik’s description of his father’s death, which left him entirely alone in the world, brought tears to my eyes. I have rarely encountered such a loving, gentle relationship between father and son in memoirs or even novels from this time period.

But Minik discovers, years after a fake “burial,” that his father’s bones are actually on display in the museum where the Inughuit were once a living exhibit. In the words of his foster father William Wallace, “...after that he was never the same boy…His heart was broken. He had lost faith in the new people he had come among” (p. 96-97) The article from the New York World reprinted in Chapter 9 was also deeply moving: “And when the sunlight fades they turn on the electric lights so that Minik’s father may not have even the pall of darkness to hide his naked bones.”

In 1909, faced with abandonment by anyone (the government, the museum, Peary) who could help him, Minik decided to return to Greenland. He barely remembered what life had been like there, and he struggled to fit in upon his return. His fellow Inughuit were enthusiastic to welcome him home and teach him the local skills he had lost, but Minik was tormented by memories of life in America, and felt he did not fit in either world. After about a decade in Greenland he gave America another try but, tragically, he fell ill and passed away. In Harper’s narrative, as in reality, Minik’s death was sudden, and it left me frustrated and sad that he never found a place that felt like home.

The question of morality when it comes to social scientific research about human beings- “ethnography”- is at the forefront of Minik’s story. Dr. Frank Boas, who spent his entire life studying the Greenlandic Inuits, was considered a man with a great deal of knowledge and compassionate understanding of the group. But even he treated them more like specimens than people, telling Peary, “...it would be of the very greatest value if you should be able to bring a middle-aged Eskimo to stay here…much valuable information of an ethnological character could be obtained” (p. 25). On p. 93-95 the author eloquently describes this tension, although he is less critical than myself. He writes, “[The Inughuit] had inspired intense…interest because they had been able to…develop a rich culture, in the world’s most hostile environment. They were remarkable, but they were not white, and that fact alone marked them too as inferior.”

It’s breathtaking how easily the Inuits’ humanity was forgotten in the relentless pursuit of more knowledge, much of which was driven by the explorers’ egos rather than some pure love of science. In fact, on pg. 41-42, Harper explains that in his self-serving account of his Arctic explorations, Peary does not even mention the Inughuit he brought to Manhattan. Because they suffered and died, they became an embarrassment to him. What strikes me as most awful here is that Peary was probably not a particularly good or bad man; he was a man who enjoyed exploring and regarded people of color as animals, but that also describes every one of his peers.

Minik’s words in a letter are so on the nose, they seem written by an author of fiction in 2024, imagining how Minik must have felt. “My poor people don’t know that the meteorite that they used till Peary took it fell off a star. But they know that the hungry must be fed, and cold men warmed, and helpless people cared for, and they do it. Wouldn’t it be sad if they forgot those things and got civilized and changed kindness for science?” (p. 133)

This quote is so poignant and modern I could hardly believe a teenager from over a century ago had written it, but Harper cites a copy of the letter that was published in the New York World in May 1909. I wanted to check for myself, but none of the digital archives had this issue available. Harper addresses several other instances in which the available sources include possible falsities, or where two sources contradict one another. Which raises some interesting questions about how to parse and then deal with the agenda inherent in any memoir or newspaper editorial. Minuk’s descriptions of life in America, when recounted to his fellow Inughuit, were an endless series of fake stories with crazy twists, like something out of a bad movie.

I saw some reviews that were displeased with the writing itself, but as somebody who is normally very critical of the quality of prose, I enjoyed Harper’s writing.

Pg. 166 has one of the funniest jokes I’ve seen lately. A year after returning to Greenland, from 11 years growing up in New York, Minik writes to his friend back in NYC, “I expect a white Xmas.” Oh man.

Harper’s book is a unique, well researched, important work of history. I wish Minik’s story were better known, and I would recommend this book to- well, practically anyone who likes to read.

[SouthWestZippy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this sums it up best so I am just going to quote it. Taken from the back of the book. "A searing true tale of extraordinary darkness told with intensity and vigilance, GIVE ME MY FATHER'S BODY is Kenn Harper's absorbing intricately documented account of ruthless imperialism in the name of science, of cruel deceptions and false burials, and of the short, strange, and tragic life of the boy known as the New York Eskimo." Minik was an Inuk brought as a child in 1897 from Greenland to New York with his father and others by the explorer Robert Peary, this is his story as well as the people who exploited him and his people.
It is a dry read and a lot to take in but overall a good book with lots of interesting history.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing true story about a group of 6 Inuit that were, in the name of 'science', brought to New York by polar explorer Robert Peary at the end of the 19th century. One year later, the sole survivor is Minik, a small boy of 7. The book focuses on the complete lack of responsibility shown by the American Museum of Natural History for the care of these people and all of the politics behind it. The book goes into some of the history of arctic exploration and is a fascinating read.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what went on and how US society condoned it. Shattering, eye opener, great read.

[Maggie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Robert Peary, an arctic explorer who in his early days was reliant on the money of Jesup, president of the American Museum of Natural History, brings home six Polar Eskimos on one of his journeys to the Arctic as a gift for the Museum. In the unfamiliar climate of America and exposed to strange bacteria, four of them quickly die, including the father of the littlest one, Minik. The fifth is repatriated back to Greenland, but Minik is kept and raised by William Wallace. He has an idyllic childhood, but in his adolescence is plagued by feelings of loneliness and guilt at being a burden to Wallace, who had earlier lost his money through no fault of Minik’s. Then Minik finds his father’s skeleton in the Museum. He finds out that the burial his father had received was a sham one – a log was buried for Minik’s sake, while the body was taken for anthropological studies. Minik spends several years in vain attempts to persuade the Museum to return him his father’s body, and grows increasingly depressed and lonely. He contemplates suicide. But then he makes friends, and after much struggle and politicking, he ends up on a ship back to Greenland. There, he finds out that he has lost all knowledge of Eskimo language, and he is lonely once again. He quickly picks up the language and hunting skills, and makes himself useful when an American expedition arrives to discover the fabled Crocker Land. However, having lived amongst the bright lights of New York, he never feels completely at home in Greenland, and finally boards a ship back to New York. He does several odd jobs before finally getting a job in a lumber camp. Finally anonymous, he spends several happy months before dying in an influenza pandemic at the age of 28.

This book has received raving reviews, mostly from people who are horrified by the treatment of the Eskimos and the concealment of their exploitation while the perpetrators of their grief are exalted in museums and textbooks. I agree with them. The Eskimos were terribly, brutally treated, and Peary and the museum board who brought Minik to America quickly declined responsibility for him once they had lost interest in their experiment.

Unfortunately I just could not like Minik. He has a self-pitying attitude, and thinks of himself as a poor orphan victimised by the world. He has a false bravado that his friends forgive too easily. When he returns to Greenland, he creates fantasies and tells tall tales of his time in America to gain – what? Fame? Popularity? Respect? And yes, I recognise that he is a victim, that he was emotionally and psychologically tormented by his experiences which influenced his mental state and behaviour. But it does not excuse his behaviour, and it especially irked me that Kenn Harper persistently defended him, making excuses for him, and telling a rather one-sided story that made out Minik to be a poor little good kid and Peary, Jesup and everyone involved with the museum to be arrogant selfish bullies. The story, with its bias, just didn’t ring true for me, and I wish we got to see the other side of the picture.

That said, Harper did a fantastic job researching this book. He has the advantage of actually living in Greenland, with friends and an ex-wife who are sort of distant relatives to Minik, and so managed to uncover information from first-hand sources that would be difficult for outsiders to attain.

[Britt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was in the “new books” section at the library, but it was originally published in 1986. It’s odd that the author changed the title more recently to include “Eskimo” when that’s not something that’s generally used today. You would think someone that has lived for 50 years in the Arctic in Inuit communities would know better. The term Eskimo is at least an uneducated term and some feel highly offensive. Also, there is a forward by Kevin Spacey with little explanation as to why (Is he trying to get a movie made of it? You just don’t write a dumb forward because you like a book). This also seemed outdated because we all know Kevin Spacey is out of favor right now. Anyway, the book focuses on Minik, an Inuk taken (along with other Inuit) from his home in Greenland to NYC in 1897. They all basically become a brief exhibit at the natural history museum to show real live Eskimos. Yea, they are treated like a freak show until they start getting sick dying from the germ exposure and such. Minik survives to adulthood, but it’s a lonely journey where he doesn’t know where he belongs—New York or Greenland. He was a complicated person with good and bad aspects to him, but one thing is clear, Americans used him as a specimen and he carried the emotional wounds of that. The story is a bit long-winded and repetitive. It can get confusing at times too with all the Inuit featured, some similar names, and the relationships between them. The author also loves tearing into the museum and everyone else that wronged Minik. I get it how messed up it was, but sometimes he seemed more concerned about ripping them apart than telling the story of Minik.

[Rouleauville · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating account of a time in history, of a culture and a person that most people would not be familiar with. The book's main focus is Minik, who was caught between two cultures when he was brought to New York at a young age by Robert Peary. The book also explores the Northern Inuit people. their struggles of living in a desolate environment, and also provides insight into the late 1800's/turn of the century push to the last points on the globe unvisited by man - that being the polar extremes.

Minik: The New York Eskimo is greatly strengthened by it's author who lived in the Arctic for quite a long period of time. When it comes to the main story of Minik - he does try to show a full account of his life and character. There were times where I wished more information was forthcoming about element's of Minik's life (or even speculation on the author's part) - but I realize that it's mainly the absence of documentation of periods of Minik's life that hampers the story, and the 100+ years that have passed since the events have occurred.

The book does come across a bit too biased against Robert Peary and the American Museum of Natural History, even if their actions do merit excoriation in these events.

While I received a copy of this book through a GoodReads giveaway, I do recommend this book to others - especially those interested in history, exploration, or cultural identities.

[Taylor Galloway · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the very beginning of reading this book it was hard for me to become interested in the story. However, once I continued reading the story it slowly started to pique my interest. I felt a range of emotions from sadness to anger. Throughout reading the book there are multiple instances where these emotions are appropriate responses such as when Minik finds out that the burial that the Museum had for his father was fake and that his father was actually inside the Museum. During this part of the story, I felt anger and sadness combined for Minik. Also, when the Eskimos started dying one by one, I felt sadness for them since they were taken from their home and put in an unknown place and left alone. Throughout the story I also had a strong feeling of anger toward Robert Peary as he never took responsibility for the Eskimos' death, and he even profited off their bodies being put in the Museum along with their possessions. Overall, Peary's actions made me feel overcome with anger and a sense of shock, of how could somebody do that. Moving forward in my teaching career reading this book will impact my teaching of the social studies since it has made me more aware of issues that have occurred in the past. Before reading this book, I have never heard of this true story, so I think overall it has increased my historical knowledge, which will help me with teaching the social studies.

[Kristen Quinlan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had me going through a gamut of emotions, from upset, to angry, to sad, to just stunned, and heartbroken for the young Minik. This story is a great resource for students studying the beginning of America, and critically important to present to students the study of social studies through primary and secondary resources. This young man, in the story, was taken with other family members from his hometown in Greenland, and brought to New York, to be studied, basically treated as a great science experiment. The travels brought with it disease and sickness and many of them died, one being his father. Minik has to manage finding out a deep, dark secret, that his fathers body has been stripped and cut up to be on display in a museum of natural history. He even had to deal with the crazy "fake" burial that was offered up to try to keep Minik from discovering the truth. After he is finally allowed to leave New York, he finds himself a stranger among his own people, and ultimately ends up back in New York, where he meets his demise. This book was a great and necessary read for students to be able to contemplate the founding of America and all that was at stake. I found myself upset and sad that modern science cost this poor young man everything and forced him to be a stranger in his own skin no matter where he went.

[Viva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edit: As the reviews of all the editions seem to be mixed up, I want to clarify that I'm reviewing the 2017 edition.

This bio of Minik is well written and easy to read. I got into it right away. It describes the life of Minik, one of 6 Eskimo who were bought to New York by Robert Peary and basically abandoned.

Though Peary isn't the main focus of this book, I had only read of him as a famous explorer. This book essentially opened my eyes to not only him by some of the early explorers of the North. That's one part of the book.

The main part is the bio of Minik. Harper pulls no punches here and you both read the good and the bad. It is a pretty comprehensive coverage looking at all sides of the story and I commend the author for doing a thorough job.

The last part of the book is a good description of the Polar Eskimos, their lives, culture and environment. This was pretty interesting reading and I learned a lot here.

I enjoyed this book a lot and I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in the denizens of one of the most inhospitable places on Earth, Arctic explorers of early last century and Minik, the New York Eskimo.

I got this book as a free ARC.

[Keegan Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't love this book, but I'm also not sorry that I read it. It turns out that Robert Peary brought six Eskimos back to New York during one of his return trips from Greenland based on the encouragement of members of the Natural History Museum. Four of the Eskimos got sick and died soon after their arrival. One returned home. One (at seven-years-old) sort of got stranded in the U.S. after his father died. This book is about that last, Minik.

This was just a sad story. The up point was that the family he ended up with genuinely loved him and seem to have truly adopted him. He also did have a few faithful friends. However, for the most part, he was neglected and forgotten by all the people who put him in this position. Depressing story of American exploitation and racism.

Also, not that a lot of really powerful people weren't at fault -- they absolutely were!! -- however, I did wonder what Minik could have made of his life if he had been able to forgive them and move on. By the end, I felt a little impatient with his helplessness. Probably a sign that I'm as bad as these villains of history, or worse because I live in a more modern era. :(

[Michelle Gallegos · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think overall this book made me very angry. The fact that there were so many people involved and the horrors that happened, really upset me, especially since nothing was done to prevent this. I would have to say the fact that the Eskimo were left in the basement alone just for them to die makes my stomach upset. Taking people lives like that is really gruesome. I think what really got me would have to be when we find out that Minik's dad's bones were in the museum. Also, I find it hard to believe that they brought Mink back to his native land where he did not know how to communicate or survive on his own. This book overall talked about some very inhumane ideas.

I think this book helps me understand that there is much history out there that is not being told or being hidden. As a teacher, I will have to make sure I try my best to teach as much history as I can to my students. Students need to be aware of the past so they can learn from it and also make sure history does not repeat itself. As a teacher, I need to be aware of not teaching biased history.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a curiosity about this author who became known as an historian of the Arctic. So, I decided to read Minik: The New York Eskimo.

Can you imagine a longing to go home? Can you imagine a time when that is all you could ever hope for, and yet seems so far removed it may remain... just a dream?
I expect, a glorious dream at that.

Now, imagine you are 7 years old, you do not speak English, and you are in a strange country.

I was immediately pulled into Minik's story. Thanks to the author's attention to historical detail, we are made aware of the life of this brave young man, who teaches us the true meaning of HOPE.

Minik: The New York Eskimo, speaks to humanity in the defintions of simple words we learn when we are young, like, empathy, humility and consideration. I highly recommend this book.
Review ARC for Net Galley

[Chris Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story. Glimpse into a different time. When Greenland wasn't on the map. When Eskimos were a science curiosity to an expansionist America full of exploratory hubris.
I was gifted this book used by my brother who really liked it. The copy had been read, highlighted, underlined and notated by at least 2 people before I got it. I'd guess 30% of the book was underlined in pen or paper with little outraged notes in the margins like "Ha!" and "Not True!" Made for an interesting side plot.
It drags a bit in the middle and reads a bit like a book report or science paper at times - like someone was stringing together piles of collected index cards, each with facts and quotes into a narrative.
Was interesting. Worth a read for the window into this time and place. Worth finishing but not a page turner. Loved the old photos.

[Abigail Veillon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m ashamed to say that before reading this book, I had never heard of the horrors committed by Peary, Cook, and so many others. This heart-wrenching story is absolutely worthy of the five stars, but the writing can sometimes be confusing. I found the beginning difficult to decipher, but as the story progresses and you become more familiar with the characters, it’s hard to put down. Definitely worth the read in my opinion.

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking, moving, astonishing. The fact that this story, and undoubtedly so many like it, are so easily/nearly lost to history, while the people who caused them (Peary, in this case) are lauded to this day, blows my mind and yet does not surprise me at all. I can't even begin to comprehend the level of complacency and lack of care by so many people along the way. May Minik, his father and his peers rest in peace.

[Randal · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's quite a story. Histories with genuine bad guys are relatively rare, but Robert Peary and William Morris Jesup come out looking shabby at best, heartless at worst for essentially abandoning the Inuit they had brought to New York, including the boy, Minik. And Jesup was essentially covering as Peary smuggled items through customs as museum exhibits then resold them to "donors" to cover expedition expenses.

There's good background on Peary, Arctic exploration, the history of Greenland, part of New Hampshire and the Polar Inuit (the little bit on their migratory settlement pattern and how they were essentially stranded after moving to what is now Greenland was really interesting).

The narrative got better as it went along. I got a little lost in the minutia in the first half or so, but as the cast of characters narrowed, the focus got more on Minik and it became easier to follow. Along the way various persons from the American Museum of Natural History faded into the background, Peary dropped out of sight, etc. Several people died, including Mrs. Wallace and Jesup and four of the Inuit (one returned to Greenland fairly quickly).

[Dictionary101 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone interested in history, biographies, sociology, anthropology, or humanity (which should be all of us) should read this book. The story touched me profoundly and I will never look at another museum exhibit the same way.

Thank you, Kenn Harper for bringing this important story to light in a way that all can read and learn from..

[RA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating story, well-researched, about Minik, the Eskimo child brought to New York by Cmdr. Peary, and then left to his own devices. Well-written biography of Minik's life, and the stories of those involved in Arctic/Greenland exploration.

[Marie-Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an important book, because it deals with a dark period in the history of (American) museums and anthropology. But it is a dry read. Five Stars for the story, two stars for the dull text.