Tatannuaq | |
|---|---|
 Sketch of Tatannuaq in 1821 | |
| Born | c. 1795 |
| Died | February or early March 1834 (aged 38–39) near Fort Resolution, North-Western Territory, British North America |
| Other names | Augustus |
| Children | 3 |
Tatannuaq (Inuktitut: ᑕᑕᓐᓄᐊᖅ, Inuktitut pronunciation: [tatanːuaq]; c. 1795 – early 1834), also known as Tattannoeuck or Augustus, was an Inuit interpreter for two of John Franklin's Arctic expeditions. Originally from an Inuit band 200 miles (320 km) north of Churchill, Rupert's Land, he found employment as an interpreter at the Hudson's Bay Company trading post in Churchill, becoming proficient in English and Cree.
Following a significant delay due to staying with family away from Churchill, he was hired as one of two Inuit interpreters accompanying John Franklin's disastrous 1819–1822 Coppermine expedition, plagued by starvation and the death of the majority of the expedition party on the return journey. He accompanied Franklin on the 1825–1827 Mackenzie River expedition, where he served a diplomatic role and dissuaded Inuit attacks on the expedition. After several years of interpreter service at the Hudson's Bay Company post at Fort Chimo, he departed to the interior in an attempt to assist in locating John Ross's expedition, but perished in bad weather a short distance outside Fort Resolution in early 1834.