They knew how to travel with them in January Arctic conditions.

Their knowledge included exactly the specific skills that might have saved those three men.

The Polar Bear Problem — And What Iñupiat Knowledge Said About It

Throughout her time on Wrangel Island, Ada Blackjack lived under the constant presence of polar bears.

Wrangel Island has the highest density of polar bear dens on Earth — it is, among other things, a critical maternity denning habitat for bears from a wide geographic range.

The island’s bear population in the 1920s would have been substantial.