(
The Children's Museum of Indianapolis has a collection of more than 120,000 objects. Objects come to the museum in all sorts of ways. We preserve those objects and their stories for future generations of children and their families. Today, I'm talking about one particular family who donated more than 300 artifacts to the museum! And their story is a very interesting one!
[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"39121","attributes":{"class":"media-image","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"206","height":"360","title":"Doll in traditional Inupiat clothing","alt":"Doll in traditional Inupiat clothing"}}]]
Have you ever heard of Barrow, Alaska? It’s one of the northernmost cities in the world and the northernmost city in the United States. Roughly 1,300 miles south of the North Pole and 320 miles north of the Arctic Circle, it has a bitterly cold (record low of -58 degrees Fahrenheit), windy and dry climate. Despite its harsh climate, the region has been home to Inupiat Eskimo peoples for more than 1,000 years. Today, with a population of nearly 5,000 people, Barrow has many modern conveniences. However, in 1920, when the story begins, the city was much smaller and far less connected to the rest of the world.
In 1920, Barrow hosted a population of around 400 people. There were only four deliveries of mail per year. There was no modern healthcare. It was then that a husband and wife team from Monticello, Indiana made it their mission to bring medical assistance to the remote town of Barrow. With their 2 year old son, David, in tow, Dr. Henry and Mollie Greist moved to Barrow, Alaska and stayed for 17 years. Dr. Greist was the only physician in Arctic North America, with no other doctors within a thousand miles. He and Mollie, a nurse, greatly improved the health of the people of Barrow. The Greist family adapted to the arctic environment, wearing traditional Inupiat fur parkas, driving a dogsled for transport and learning the ways of the Inupiat people. Little David Greist grew up amongst the Inupiat people with their children as his playmates. The Greist family had many famous guests at their Barrow home, including Charles Lindberg and the famous explorers Amundsen and Rasmussen. Dr. Greist was one of the first called to investigate the fatal plane crash of Wiley Post and Will Rogers which occurred 15 miles southwest of Barrow.
[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"39122","attributes":{"class":"media-image","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"250","height":"92","title":"Wooden snow goggles","alt":"Wooden snow goggles"}}]]Although the Greists left Barrow in 1937 to return to Monticello, Indiana, they brought many memories, stories and a large collection of Inupiat artifacts back with them. The artifacts documented many aspects of traditional Inupiat life and were wonderful tools to teach about Inupiat culture. Over the years, the Greists gifted portions of their collection to select Indianapolis museums. The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis currently holds a collection of around 300 of their artifacts.
[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"39123","attributes":{"class":"media-image","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"250","height":"167","title":"Sealskin ball","alt":"Sealskin ball"}}]]David Greist, now in his 90s, currently lives in Florida. He continues to share his memories, stories and artifact collection through lectures. His book, My Playmates were Eskimos (Chicago Spectrum Press, 2002), provides unique insight into growing up amongst the Inupiat peoples of Barrow, Alaska. The Greist collection, considered a treasure of The Children’s Museum, continues to teach visitors (as well as scholars) about Inupiat life and culture and about the many wonderful adventures and stories lived by the Greists.
