Therkel Mathiassen character outline

My name is Therkel Mathiassen and I was born on September 5, 1892. I became an archaeologist and traveled with my friend and fellow explorer, Knud Rasmussen through the Arctic. In 1922, Knud and I were members of the Danish Fifth Thule Expedition. We spent a winter with the tribe of Aua, the great angakkuq, and his family in Danish Island near Iglulik<. During this time, we collected stories and songs about their lives and spirituality. While I am a Christian, I once saw taqriaksuit, or shadow people, while traveling on the road to Iglulik. I don't know what it meant, but I know what I saw. During that winter, I became friendly with Apak, the daughter of Aua. She was so beautiful, but unhappy in her marriage to Taparte and defiant of her father. She shared her worries with me, for she felt she had endangered her daughter and family by the taboos she had broken. I wanted to take her away, maybe even home to Denmark, but couldn't, although for a box of bullets, Taparte would have allowed it. Even if I could have chosen her, we all knew she would never go.

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