Eskimo Life

worthy politicians would say if they knew anything of the Eskimo community, and whether they would not blush before the people whom that man of God, Hans Egede, ch

to each other the lowest terms of contumely, as for example 'liar,' 'traitor,' 'perjurer,' 'lout,' 'rowdy,' &c., while th

terms of abuse. He is very loth to contradict another even should he be saying what he knows to be false; if he does so, he takes care to word his remonstrance in the mildest possible form, and it would be very hard indeed for him to say right out that the other was lying. He is chary of telling other people truths which he thinks will be unpleasant to them; in such cases he choos

rangling amongst themselves; the struggle to wring from nature the necessities of life, that great problem of humanity, i

ild's. If sorrow overtakes him, he may perhaps suffer bitterly for the moment; but it is

h to eat for the moment, he eats it and is happy, even if he has afterwards to suffer

e to civilisation, and have tried to exhort him to greater providence and frugality. They quite overlook the fact that it is written, 'Take ye no though

bright side; it is even, in a w

his is probably what tells most upon our poor people; but for this, the bodily sufferings, which, after all, are generally transitory, would be easily supported. But it is precisely from this phase of suffering that the Eskimo's elastic spirit saves him. Even a long period of starvation and endurance is at once forgot

ager, 'they give food to their children even if they themselves are ready to die of hunger; for they li

l difference between the Eskimo character and ours, w

the opinion that the Eskimo community is

itten so harshly of them, cannot help admitting in such a passage as, for example, the following; 'It is wonderful in what peace and unity they live with each other; for quarrelling and strife, hatred and covetousness, are seldom heard of among them.[20] And even if one of them happens to bear an ill-will to another, he does not let it be seen

own their respect for their old customs and traditions, of course without being able to give them new ones in their place. The missionaries thought that they could make this wild, free people of hunters into a civilised Christian nation, without for a moment suspecting that at heart these people were in many respects more Christian than themselves, and, among other things, l

heir wandering and unstable way of life, certainly offer great hindrances to their conversion, and ought as much as possible to be obviated and remedied.' What a lack of comprehension! Only think, to

gain and again assured them they were. They had not, as Egede says, 'any just realisation of their own profound corruption,' and had great difficulty in understanding a religion so cruel as to condemn people to everlasting fire. They could

that is, Greenland women), they said, are naturally quiet and modest; but these (the Europeans) were boisterous, brazen, and lacking in all womanly propriety. Yet they surely all knew God's will.' And the Greenlanders looked down upon and l

complete disturbance of the primitive social order, and replaced it by an indeterminate mixture of Eskimo and modern European habits and civilisa

ive people, we can still find many impor

ave a very restricted sense of property; but it

t fully recognised in the kaiak, the kaiak-dress and the hunting-weapons, which belong to the hunter alone, and which no one must touch. With them he supports himself and his family, and he must therefore always be sure of finding them where he last laid them; it is seldom that they are even lent to others. In former times, good hunters would often own two kaiaks, but

uses, such as knives, axes, saws, skin-cutters, &c. Many of these, and especia

the house. The woman-boat and the tent belong to the father of the family or to the family as a w

be a recognised rule that no one shall pitch a tent or build a house at

e are equally silent and give no sign, the newcomers think they are not wanted and therefore row away as fast as possible to some unoccupied place. But if those on shore, as generally happens, meet them with compliments, such as: "Look here! here are good places for your tents, a good beach for your woman-boats-come and rest after the labours of the day!" they, after a little consideration, lay in to the shore where the others stand ready to receive them

lmon river to gather the fish together, it is not regarded as the right thing if strangers come and interfere with the dams or fish

e it above the high-water line, if possible marking it in one way or another. For this form of property the Eskimo has the greatest respect, and one who has left a piece of drif

ay with the harpoon, or the fish breaks the line, or the fish or seal does injury to the boat-the owner must bear the loss, the borrower making no reparation. But if anyone borrows darts or implements without the knowledge of the own

the wares do not suit him, he can return them

. But if the debtor dies in the meantime, the creditor never makes any claim. This,' adds Dalager, 'is an inconvenient habit for the merchants of the colony, who are always bou

y advised him 'to register his claim at once, but to let the man's lice d

his needier fellows would have the right to enforce a claim upon such of his possessions as were not necessary for himself. Thus we find in Greenland this unfortunate state of things: that the

present when he takes it, and in the same way the children of the village, when he comes home, receive a little scrap of blubber apiece. There are fixed rules for other sorts of game, in accordance with which the whole animal is divided among those who were present when it was killed or even among all the houses of the village. This is especially the case with regard to the walrus and several so

careless eagerness with which several hundred people will rush upon the fish, each one doing his best for himself, and, therefore, paying very little heed as to where he slashes with his knif

a halibut is caught, the fisher is bound to give the other kaiak-men upon the hunting-ground a piece of the skin for division among

SH

For instance, if he makes a catch at a time when there is scarcity or famine in the village, it is regarded as his duty eit

the duty of those who have anything to help those who have nothing, even to the last remnant of food. After that, they starve in company, and sometimes starve to death. That some people should live in profusion while others suffer ne

efit by the captured prey, so that no family shall be entirely dependent upon the daily 'take' of those who provide for it. Thes

o that however capable he may be, and able as a rule to look after himself, there may come times when without the help of his fellow-men he would have to go to the wall; therefore, it is best to help others. 'Therefore, all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them'-this

e proceeds on his way, he often takes a store of food along with him; I have seen kaiak-men leave houses where they had remained weatherbound for several days, loaded with halibut flesh, which had been presented to them on their departure. No payment is ever made for the entertainment. A

ay refer the reader to what he tells of the murderer Maratuk, who had killed his stepfather. He was a bad man, and no one liked him; yet when he presented

for it often happens that they are overtaken by storms when far from home

more the Europeans who have given the example. And the fact that the people are by no means so well-to-do as i

nlanders, encouraging them to save up portions of their booty, instead of lavishing it abroad in their usual free-handed way, and so forth; the principle being that a more highly developed sense of property is the first condition of civilisation. Whether this is a benefit may seem doubtful to many; for my part I have no doubt about the matter. I must admit, of course, that civilisation presupposes a m

ble socialism carried into practice. In this respect, accordingly, they are more Christian than those

opposition or hostile interference. This he calls the religion of enmity. The other is the instinct of association, which impels men to join fellowship with their neighbours; and to it we trace the Christia

uture the Eskimo seems to have m

n the case with the Eskimos. Where the instinct of association and mutual help has been most strongly developed, there has the community's power of maintaining itself

ure, that self-sacrifice for the benefit of the community is the point towards which de

e ages, did not act upon a similar principle. It may be that social de