Many legendary stories told by male Arctic explorers 'forget' to mention a very important detail: the help they received from women and indigenous people, essential to their survival. A great exception is Taqulittuq (1838 - 1876). This translator and guide - both female and indigenous - was so brave and skillful that her story simply refuses to be erased from history. Born in the Canadian territory of Nunavut with a knack for languages, Taqulittuq (aka 'Tookoolito') began learning English while guiding for a whaling captain who brought her to London where she was introduced to Queen Victoria. "I liked the appearance of her majesty, and everything about the palace. Fine place, I assure you, sir," she is quoted as saying in her perfect English accent. Explorer George Frances Hall was equally impressed when he met Taqulittuq in the Arctic: "There was a degree of calm intellectual power about her that more and more astonished me." Together with her hunter husband, she would work with Hall as a guide and interpreter on many projects, including his ill-fated Polaris expedition in 1871, during which the explorer was killed en route to the North Pole. After that, for six months, 19 members of the crew were trapped on a sheet of floating ice, drifting 1200 miles off course. Keeping everybody alive with her skills and talent for improvisation, becoming the 'tormaq' (Inuit language for 'guiding spirit') for the group, Taqulittuq wrote herself into the history books, becoming the feminine face of stoic determination for many generations*. *Taqulittuq was declared a Person of National Historic Significance by the Canadian government in 1981.

When we have a dream or a goal we like to achieve, our creative intelligence helps us build a road map toward the fulfillment of our dream. Every woman brave and passionate enough to undertake an adventure will have to deal with the unexpected at some point. Dare to use your imagination to see a solution where others only see 'impossible'.