Eskimo Life

ly lead to the erroneous conclusion that he stands at a low grade of civilisation. When w

tably to exalt the highly gifted white race far over all others. These people would learn much by paying close attention to the development of the Eskimos, and to

e spot. These consist solely of stone, a little drift-wood, skins, and bone; but in order to obtain the latter they must first kill the animals from which to take them. We, in their place, would inevitably go

tion of experiences the civilisation of this people rests, I shall try

canoes, as the inland Eskimos of Alaska and the Indians of the North-West do to this day. In course of time, however, some of these inland Eskimos must either have been allured by the riches of the sea or must have been pressed upon by hostile and more warlike Indian tribes, so that they must have migrated in their canoes down the river-courses toward the western and

ly and joining his own skin-jacket to it so that the whole became water-tight. The kaiak was now complete. But even these inventions, which seem so simple and straightfor

ING A

they directed all their cunning, and the kaiak guided them to the discovery of the many remarkable and admirable seal-hunting instruments, which they brou

not handle in their constrained position in the kaiak;

arts with steering-feathers, which they had themselves used in hunting upon land. Small harpoons or

DER-

, it has been found necessary so to arrange the point of the javelin that it cannot be broken by the seal's violent efforts to get rid of it, but detaches itself instead (at c on accompanying engraving) and remains hanging to a line (from c to b) fastened (at b1) t

stened to the javelin-shaft by means of a piece of bone with a hole bored through it f

-the fact that it offered too much resistance to the air to be thrown far and with force-must soon have been felt. The bladder was then separated from the javelin, and only attached to its point by means of a long and strong line, the harpoon-line. The harpoon, whi

ucture, ranks, along with the kaiak, as the

RP

sure or blow from the side, instead of shattering the foreshaft, causes it to break off at the joint. This foreshaft fits exactly into a hole in the harpoon-head proper, which is made of bone, generally of walrus or narwhal tusk. It is now always provided with a point, or rather a sharp blade, of iron; in earlier days they used flint or simply bone. The harpoon-head is fastened to the harpoon-line by means of a hole bored through it, and is provided with barbs or

loosened from the shaft, which floats up to the surface and is picked up by its owner, while the seal dashes away, dragging the line and bladder after it. It must be admitted, I think, th

D OF TH

it is longer and slighter than the other. This is called ernangnak, and has at its butt-end two flanges or wings of bone, now commonly made of

hat, in a wind, it was more difficult to throw than the unak, since a side gust

ca barbata) or of the young walrus. It is generally from 15 to 18 ya

ped off, as nearly as possible whole, the hair is removed, the apertures at the head, the

ves to keep the coil well above the sea, which is always washing over the deck; and

carry well), a long bone foreshaft, and an iron-bladed tip. In former days flint was used instead of iron. The foreshaft is generally made of reindeer-horn or el

A

here are fastened to the middle of the shaft three forward-slanting spikes, made of reindeer-horn and provided with large barbs. The idea is that if the end of the dart does not pierce the bird, the shaft sh

I have shown above, be traced

remote from each other, springs from any common origin, and we must thus accept the Eskimo form of it as an original invention of that particular race. It is generally made in Greenland of red drift-wood, and is about half a yard long (fourteen sticks in my possession range from 42 to 52 centimetres in length). At its lower and broader end it is about 3 inches (7 or 8 centimetres) in width, and is flat, with a thickness of rather more than half an inch (about 1? centimetre). The sides, at the lower and broader end, have indentations in them for convenience in grasping-on one side for the thumb, on the other for the fore-finger; while on the upper flat side there runs a long groove along the whole length of the

narrow end a small knob, as in the bird-dart throwing-stick, and this knob fits into an indentation in the butt-end of the harpoon between the bone flanges; in the lo

on. (See illustration, page 40); being then jerked forward with force, its lower end comes away from the dart or harpoon, while, with the upper end, still fitted to its knob or peg (s

STICK WIT

or other game its finishing stroke. He has, moreover, a smaller knife lying before him in the kaiak; it is used, amongst other things, for piercing holes in the seal through which to pass the bone knobs of the towing-line, wherewith the seal is made f

RD-DAR

which forms part of the kaiak-man's outfit, especially in winter,

STICK WIT

is in full hunting trim: a is the kaiak-opening; b, the harpoon-bladder; c, the kaiak-stand with coiled harpoon-line (e); d, t

SEEN FR

AK-

all yet remains, and that is a

of the white wood, which is lightest. For the ribs, osiers were sometimes used, from willow bushes which are found growing far up the fiords. In later days they have got into th

he skin of a young bladder-nose, in which the pores are not yet very large, is considered good enough. Those who can afford it use the skin of the bearded seal (Phoca barbata), which is reckoned the best and strongest; but, as it is also used

ed for several days before they can be used. The point is to get them as moist and pliant as possible, so that they can be thoroughly well stretched, and remain as tense as a drum-head when they dry. The preparat

eat entertainment to them, especially as, in reward for their assistance, they are often treated to coffee by the owner of th

can slip into or out of the kaiak with any sort of ease. The hole is surrounded by the kaiak-ring, which consists of a hoop of wood. It stands a little more than an inch (3 or 3? centimetres) above the kaiak's deck, and the

(45 centimetres), or a little more; but the boat narrows considerably towards the bottom. The breadth, of course, varies according to the width of the man's thighs, and is generally no greater than just to allow him to slip in. I should note, however, that the kaiaks in Godthaab fiords-as, for example, at

N OF T

line represe

e bottom of the kaiak is pretty flat, sloping to a very obtuse angle (probably about 140°) in the middle. The kaiak narrows evenly in, both fore and aft, and comes to a point at both ends. It has no keel, but its underpart at both ends is generally provided

ongs, partly to hold them together, partly to keep them a little bit up from the deck, so that weapons can the more easily and quickly be pushed under them, and partly also for the sake of ornament. To some of these thongs the booty is fastened. The

DD

ficulty be carried on the head, with all it

ne-bladed paddles. Among the Eskimos on the south-west coast of Alaska the one-bladed paddle is universal; not until we come north of the Yukon River do we find two-bladed paddles, and even there the

th only the two-bladed paddle,[15] and this is also the c

be made to fit so closely to the kaiak-ring that it can only be pressed and drawn down over it with some little trouble. This done, the half-jacket forms, as it were, a water-tight extension of the kaiak. The upper margin of the jacket comes close up to the armpits

o the over-arm and to the wrist, thus preventing the arm from b

the half-jacket, and, like it, fits close to the kaiak-ring, but is longer above, has sleeves attached to it, and a hood which comes right over the head. It is laced tight round the face a

F-J

to master its peculiarities. I have seen a friend of mine in Norway, on making his first experiment in my kaiak, capsize four times in the space

paddle, one can get through the water in all sorts of weather at an astonishing spe

from six to eight years old, and when they are ten or twelve the provident Greenlander gives his sons kaiaks of their own. This was the rule,

E-JA

e sea. At first he generally confines himself to fishing, but befor

p the shaft as near the middle as possible; then you place it along the side of the kaiak with its free end pointing forward towards the bow; and thereupon, pushing the end of the paddle sharply

The height of accomplishment is reached when he does not even need to use the flat of his hand, but can clench it; and to show th

with or without a throwing-stick, or with his clenched hand. The only thing he could not right himself with was-his tongue; and my informant protrude

declined, along with everything else. It is still quite common, however, in many places. For instance, I can assert of my own knowledge that at Kangek, near Godthaab, almost all the hunters possessed it. On the east coast, according to

addle flat out on the windward side, pressing it against the deck, bends forward, and lets the wave roll over him; or else he throws himself on his side towards it, resting on his flat paddle, and rights himself again when it has passed. The prettiest feat of seamanship I have ever heard of is that to w

his may happen easily enough-a wave can do it, or even the fouling of the harpoon-line when a seal is struck. Just as

outh Greenland in 1888, out of 162 deaths (of which 90 were of males), 24, or about 15 per cent. (

ere of males), 24, or about 9 per cent., were due to the same