The Jesup North Pacific Expedition was a large-scale anthropological and archaeological research expedition conducted by the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) between 1897 and 1902. The expedition was named after Morris Jesup, a prominent American philanthropist and the president of the AMNH, who funded it. The American anthropologist Franz Boas served as the key scholar and head of the expedition. The main goals of the expedition were to study the native peoples of Siberia, Alaska, and the Northwest Coast of Canada, including the relationship of cultures on each side of the Bering Strait.
The expedition included both American and Russian experts, including the Russian anthropologists and ethnographers Waldemar Bogoraz and Vladimir Jochelson. Expedition teams in Siberia and Alaska/Canada were focused on understanding the cultures, languages, and social structures of the indigenous peoples of these Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. Researchers collected extensive data on the customs, traditions, mythology, and daily lives of the local populations. Less attention was given to archaeological studies because this science was still in its infancy.
The Jesup Expedition provided a wealth of scientific data, including ethnological objects, photographs, sketches, and written observations, which are valuable resources for contemporary studies of North Pacific and Arctic anthropology and archaeology. The collections and voluminous publications contributed significantly to the knowledge of individual North Pacific cultures and history, their connections, and their similarities and differences. The Jesup Expedition created a baseline for continuing regional North Pacific studies that was pursued by the Smithsonian’s “Crossroads of Continents” exhibition and publications by the Arctic Studies Center and the American Museum of Natural History during a thaw of Russian American relations at the end of the Cold War in the 1990s.
Many of the artifacts collected during the Jesup Expedition are in the collections of the American Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography in St. Petersburg, where they continue to be studied and exhibited. The Jesup Expedition and the Smithsonian’s Crossroads project serve as important venues for discussion about the ethics of conducting research in indigenous communities and the responsibilities of researchers to preserve collections, information, and access related to cultural heritage across international borders and political divides.
Overall, the Jesup Expedition is remembered for its ambitious goals and its contributions to the fields of anthropology and archaeology, as well as its role in fostering a greater understanding of North Pacific and Arctic indigenous cultures.
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The Circumpolar Navigator project acknowledges the existence of harmful content in many publications and historical materials within this initiative. We recognize the potentially painful heritage of some of our collections and seek to address its impact on research and culture today.
The Circumpolar Navigator project aims to bring together Arctic and sub-Arctic collections from a wide range of northern heritage materials that will provide access for modern researchers to previously hidden sources of information that can offer data and insights on multiple subjects.
