Johann August Miertsching | |
---|---|
Jan Awgust Měrćink | |
Born | |
Died | March 30, 1877 Kleinwelka, Saxony, German Empire | (aged 59)
Johann August Miertsching (Upper Sorbian: Jan Awgust Měrćink, August 21, 1817 – March 30, 1875) was a Moravian missionary, noted for his service as an interpreter under Robert McClure during the search for Franklin's lost expedition. Born to a Sorbian and German parents, Miertsching was trained as a cobbler before joining the Moravian Church. After training, he was sent to Okak mission in northern Labrador, where he learned Inuktitut. Called upon by the British Admiralty to serve as an interpreter, he served for five years in the disastrous McClure expedition. He served at the mission of Genadendal in the Cape Colony before retiring to Germany.
Early life
editMissionary service
editMcClure expedition
editSouth Africa
editLater life and death
editReferences
editSources
edit- http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/miertsching_johann_august_10E.html
- Weil ich ein Inuk bin: Johann August Miertsching, Ein Lebensbild (978-3-86732-411-3)
- Frozen ships : the Arctic diary of Johann Miertsching
- Lobsticks and Stone Cairns: Human Landmarks in the Arctic