The daughter of a British adventurer is apologizing after trumpeting what she described as an adventurous first of her own: crossing Nunavet's Baffin Island—Canada's largest—solo as a female. Camilla Hempleman-Adams completed the 150-mile journey via foot and ski on March 27, and had written in a expedition blog prior to setting out that "Parks Canada has confirmed that there are no historical records of a female solo attempt from Qikiqtarjuaq to Pangnirtung." Members of the native Inuit population quickly pushed back, prodding Hempleman-Adams to issue an apology and take down her blog and Instagram account.
ExplorersWeb notes her website now describes the trip as "a winter attempt to become the first British woman to traverse across Baffin Island." The BBC spoke with Gayle Uyagaqi Kabloona of Ottawa, who is Inuit. She explained such records hadn't existed because the making such journeys is "a normal way of life" for the Inuit. Learning of Hempleman-Adams's claim was "like watching colonization happen all over again," she said. "This woman is coming here from such a place of privilege and ignorance ... it was almost like she was bringing back news of a new continent to Europe and saying 'there's nobody here!' We were and still are."
In her apology, Hempleman-Adams said "it was never my intention to misrepresent any historical achievements or cause distress to local communities. ... I have travelled in this region multiple times and hold immense admiration for its nature, culture and traditions. I am truly saddened that the coverage of my journey may have caused concern or upset, and I remain committed to learning from this experience and engaging with the community with the utmost respect." The CBC has this from Parks Canada: Records are kept solely for public safety purposes and "do not document trip motivations or serve as records of personal or professional achievement." (More Inuit stories.)
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