The Story



We are All Antarctica is a story about my father George W. Gibbs, Jr’s adventures as the first person of African descent to set foot on the continent of Antarctica. He sailed on the famous ship the USS Bear in 1939 to 1941 on Admiral Byrd’s III expedition to the South Pole. It was the first joint venture with the US military and private exploration. Gibbs went on to serve humanity in countless ways, paving the way for not only people of color in the community of Rochester, MN but for all people to become more human, serve their community and appreciate differences.

Through compassion, tenacity, faith and countless hours in the trenches, Gibbs’ life is a model for community service, equality and fun. As the lowest rank on the ship, he was honored for his contribution at a time when people with dark skin were considered less than human.

This story integrates my experiences with natural healing, the arts, the science of the ice, the metaphysics of the South Pole and the history of the expedition and its mystery.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Patagonia Kaweskar Indigenous tribal people

My plan is to do a non linear view of my journey.  It's the art of objective reality, right?  Where past,
present and future converge in one moment. One of the things that caught my eye in my father's journals is the reference to the Alacalufe Indigenous tribe of Chile. When I first read it, I wondered if he spelled the name correctly and if I could ever find out more. Not only did he have the spelling correct, but he tells a wonderful story of the contact he had with them on the ship.  Here I am, in the midst of Chile, discovering the customs and way of life of this nomadic, sea dwelling tribe. It turns out they prefer the name Kawésqar, or Kaweskar instead of Alacalufe. I've been researching this and thought they were two different tribes. Even my Chilean host, who is part Mapuche,  didn't know.  They are the same people.  The pictures are from a mural in Puerto Natales, two blocks long. The stone, from this hunting tool, was found in Torres Del Paine national park.  It's very rare to find one in the park now.  The stone is weapon or for humting animals. Both of my Chilean friends have a stone  in their homes. The stones are shown tied, as they were once used.  The picture is from the Museum of Puerto Natales. Ciao!

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