The Indigenous woman who survived a desolate Arctic island

In 1921, 23-year-old seamstress Ada Blackjack embarked on an expedition to a remote Siberian island with four white men. They would face -50 degree temperatures, starvation, bears and scurvy. Only one of them made it home.

On September 16, 1921, Ada Blackjack watched as four white men planted a British flag on the shore of a desolate Siberian island. The group had been sent by Vilhjalmur Stefansson, the Canadian-born explorer, to colonise Wrangel Island, 140km (87 miles) off the coast of Siberia, on behalf of the British Empire. As well as being a prime spot for fur trapping and walrus hunting – both profitable industries – Vilhjalmur saw the potential for a future airbase on the island, which could aid his search for the uncharted northern continent he was convinced existed. For the young, adventure-seeking explorers recruited, the prospect of being involved in such a mission was too great to refuse. The plan was for the team to stay there for up to two years, with a supply ship scheduled to arrive after a year. Ada, a 23-year-old Iñupiat woman, would be their seamstress, sewing fur clothing to withstand the Arctic temperatures.