MIKAK—1ST INUK TO GO TO EUROPE AND RETURN–DIED
Born circa 1740, Mikak was the daughter of an Inuk chief. In 1767, she and other Inuit women & children were captured by British soldiers after an Inuit raid and imprisoned at Fort York at Chateau Bay in modern-Labrador. Lieutenant Francis Lucas taught her English. In 1768, Newfoundland Governor Palliser sent Mikak, her son Tootac, and an older boy, Karpik, to England in order to impress them with the power of England so that they would advocate cooperation when they returned home. Patronized by London society, Mikak received from the Princess of Wales a dress trimmed with gold lace. She also successfully advocated for a land grant for a Moravian mission. In 1769, Mikak was returned northwest of Byron Bay in modern-Nunavut. In July 1770, she met the Moravians in her golden gown, the king’s medal on her breast, and a new husband, Tuglavina. The pair helped the Moravians pick a site for Nain, their first mission post. She returned to Nain at the end of her life and died there.
Source: William H. Whiteley, “Mikak,” Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Retrieved 3/22/2022, Biography – MIKAK – Volume IV (1771-1800) – Dictionary of Canadian Biography (biographi.ca) Painting: John Russell, 1769. Painting of Inuit Mikak and her son Tukauk. Institute of Cultural and Social anthropology, Georg-august University of Göttingen, Germany. Public Domain.
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