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In the Footsteps of Abraham Ulrikab: The Events of 1880-1881
In August 1880, Abraham and seven other Inuit, aged from 9 months to 50 years old, were recruited by Norwegian Johan Adrian Jacobsen to become the latest exotic attraction in Carl Hagenbeck's ethnographic shows. The group was exhibited in zoos in Hamburg, Berlin, Prague, Frankfurt, Darmstadt, Krefeld and Paris. Soon, the Inuit realized their coming to Europe was a mistake and they longed to return home to Labrador. Sadly, none of them did, all eight having been killed by smallpox less than four months after setting foot in Europe. Three of them died in Germany. The remaining five, including Abraham Ulrikab, died in Paris.
Abraham was literate and kept a diary. So did Johan Adrian Jacobsen. Even though both diaries survived, to this day, the story remained incomplete. In 2009, France Rivet's reading of the English translation of Abraham's diary left her with many unanswered questions. Where were the Inuit buried? What happened to their remains? Where was the skullcap of one of the Inuit that Jacobsen took after the autopsy and carried, wrapped in his luggage, all the way to Paris? Were the artefacts Jacobsen collected in Labrador graves, and later sold to a Paris museum, still in Paris? Nobody knew. Intrigued, and French being her mother tongue, in 2010, France set out to look for answers. The more she dug, the more riveting the story became, and totally unsuspected facets emerged.
Four years and three research trips to Europe later, the book In the Footsteps of Abraham Ulrikab reveals her findings. At last, 133 years after the death of Abraham, Maria, Nuggasak, Paingu, Tigianniak, Tobias, Sara and Ulrike, the events that unfolded in Paris are finally elucidated, and even more extraordinarily, this research has brought to light an opportunity to change the course of Abraham's story. Indeed, his expressed wish to come home to Labrador could eventually become a reality! His remains having been located in Paris along with those of his wife Ulrike, their daughter Maria, young Tobias and the shaman Tigianniak.
I do not long for earthly possessions but this is what I long for: to see my relatives again, who are over there... (Abraham, January 8, 1881)
It is our dearest hope that this book will provide the Labrador Inuit community with all the information they require to initiate the yet-to-be-written chapter where they will make the decision to repatriate or not the remains of their countrymen. The publication of this book is therefore seen as the catalyst for that decision-making process. May it lead them to eventually closing the loop on this tragic story.
Abraham was literate and kept a diary. So did Johan Adrian Jacobsen. Even though both diaries survived, to this day, the story remained incomplete. In 2009, France Rivet's reading of the English translation of Abraham's diary left her with many unanswered questions. Where were the Inuit buried? What happened to their remains? Where was the skullcap of one of the Inuit that Jacobsen took after the autopsy and carried, wrapped in his luggage, all the way to Paris? Were the artefacts Jacobsen collected in Labrador graves, and later sold to a Paris museum, still in Paris? Nobody knew. Intrigued, and French being her mother tongue, in 2010, France set out to look for answers. The more she dug, the more riveting the story became, and totally unsuspected facets emerged.
Four years and three research trips to Europe later, the book In the Footsteps of Abraham Ulrikab reveals her findings. At last, 133 years after the death of Abraham, Maria, Nuggasak, Paingu, Tigianniak, Tobias, Sara and Ulrike, the events that unfolded in Paris are finally elucidated, and even more extraordinarily, this research has brought to light an opportunity to change the course of Abraham's story. Indeed, his expressed wish to come home to Labrador could eventually become a reality! His remains having been located in Paris along with those of his wife Ulrike, their daughter Maria, young Tobias and the shaman Tigianniak.
I do not long for earthly possessions but this is what I long for: to see my relatives again, who are over there... (Abraham, January 8, 1881)
It is our dearest hope that this book will provide the Labrador Inuit community with all the information they require to initiate the yet-to-be-written chapter where they will make the decision to repatriate or not the remains of their countrymen. The publication of this book is therefore seen as the catalyst for that decision-making process. May it lead them to eventually closing the loop on this tragic story.
344 pages, Paperback
First published August 26, 2014
2 people are currently reading
502 people want to read
About the author
France Rivet
1 book6 followersTraveller, photographer, writer and researcher, France Rivet is a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographic Society, and founder of Polar Horizons, an enterprise that is dedicated to making the Arctic, its nature, people and history better known.
Her book “In the Footsteps of Abraham Urikab” reveals the results of her four-year research to demystify the events surrounding the death, in Europe in 1880–1881, of eight Labrador Inuit who were being exhibited in ethnographical shows.
Her work is featured in the documentary “Trapped in a Human Zoo” (2016), which aired in Canada on CBC’s The Nature of Things with David Suzuki.
France has been nominated by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television for the 2017 Barbara Sears Award for Best Editorial Research (TV).
France lives in Gatineau, Quebec.
Her book “In the Footsteps of Abraham Urikab” reveals the results of her four-year research to demystify the events surrounding the death, in Europe in 1880–1881, of eight Labrador Inuit who were being exhibited in ethnographical shows.
Her work is featured in the documentary “Trapped in a Human Zoo” (2016), which aired in Canada on CBC’s The Nature of Things with David Suzuki.
France has been nominated by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television for the 2017 Barbara Sears Award for Best Editorial Research (TV).
France lives in Gatineau, Quebec.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 15, 2016
The concept of a ‘Human Zoo’ is a pretty daunting one to grasp. One is able to read many historical documents which show how two Inuit families were lured from their homes in Labrador to tour Europe in the 1880s and perish in a Parisian hospital from Smallpox. But to put those documents into an order as so to put a face on the issue is not only a noble one, but one that is needed to improve the human condition in order for us to improve ourselves. And that is what France Rivet has done with In the Footsteps of Abraham Ulrikab.
http://tinyurl.com/h9psamu
http://tinyurl.com/h9psamu
February 2, 2025
Le premier tiers de ce remarquable travail d’enquête est magnifiquement construit et nous attache à cet individu dont la tragique histoire est au centre de cette oeuvre. Toutefois, les longs passages portant sur l’examen des cerveaux de ces Inuit décédés de la variole, ou les mensurations anthropologiques effectuées sur ceux-ci de leur vivant, enlèvent un peu de lustre à la lecture de ce livre.
Publié en 2014, on y trouve également un chapitre intéressant sur le débat, en 1881, sur la vaccination obligatoire visant à éliminer les risques de contagion reliés à la variole - pourtant responsable de la disparition de millions d’habitants du Nouveau Monde, et de milliers d’Européens lors des épisodes récurrentes de la maladie sur le Vieux Continent. Lors de la pandémie de 2020, plusieurs opposants à la vaccination répèteront le même « combat ». Comme quoi, on n’apprend pas de nos leçons…
Publié en 2014, on y trouve également un chapitre intéressant sur le débat, en 1881, sur la vaccination obligatoire visant à éliminer les risques de contagion reliés à la variole - pourtant responsable de la disparition de millions d’habitants du Nouveau Monde, et de milliers d’Européens lors des épisodes récurrentes de la maladie sur le Vieux Continent. Lors de la pandémie de 2020, plusieurs opposants à la vaccination répèteront le même « combat ». Comme quoi, on n’apprend pas de nos leçons…
February 17, 2019
Rivet puts together diaries from Abraham himself, from Captain Jacobsen, who recruited the Inuit, and countless historical documents to piece together a fascinating story. I thought the chapter on vaccination in France was maybe going a little off topic but then I realized that what happened in Paris actually influenced health care in France and around the world.
Rivet has done a great service to history by her careful research. I appreciated this fascinating glimpse into a world where people were just beginning to travel more easily and meet people from other lands.
Rivet has done a great service to history by her careful research. I appreciated this fascinating glimpse into a world where people were just beginning to travel more easily and meet people from other lands.
June 11, 2023
This is a really sad true story involving Inuit from Labrador. I wish their story was more well known. The author put a lot of time and effort into telling their story.
February 4, 2015
I received this book from Goodreads giveaway.
This book initially interested me as I was born in Labrador. A well written and extremely exposing book of the cultures and ignorance of what was considered a superior race. The Inuit were true to themselves and their culture which was definitely misunderstood by the Europeans who thought them to be daft. I would like to think this kind of mentality has no place in our culture today but unfortunately I see evidence of this bullying behavior running rampant across the world.
The author really gives food for thought and hopefully some lessons are learned through this book.
This book initially interested me as I was born in Labrador. A well written and extremely exposing book of the cultures and ignorance of what was considered a superior race. The Inuit were true to themselves and their culture which was definitely misunderstood by the Europeans who thought them to be daft. I would like to think this kind of mentality has no place in our culture today but unfortunately I see evidence of this bullying behavior running rampant across the world.
The author really gives food for thought and hopefully some lessons are learned through this book.
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June 26, 2016The story of Abraham Ulrikab is one of the saddest and most moving stories in Nunatsiavut (Labrador), Inuit and Canadian history. #history #americas #biography
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews