Ada Blackjack

Ada Blackjack (1898 - 1983)

An Iñupiaq woman born and raised in Alaska, she was hired in 1921 as a cook and

seamstress of fur clothing and accompanied an Arctic expedition to an uninhabited

island in Siberia. All the men of the expedition died of hunger, scurvy or exposure.

Only Ada survived for 8 months in the harsh environment, alone except for

the expedition's cat, Victoria. She was rescued in 1923.