Eskimo Life

f civilisation. I am not entirely convinced that this is always the case; but if it is, I think we have here another indication that the Eskimo

er. He can therefore send her away when he pleases, or lend her, or exchange her for another; and, when he can afford it, he can have more wives than one. But as a rule she is well treated, and

mployments are not exactly the same as those of the men. These people will be no better contented with t

e immemorial; but nevertheless they have not yet attained to the co

rule so strong, active, and courageous as men, and that they therefore are not so well fitted for hunting and fishing. O

lear line of demarcation between the emplo

social function. He is received by his women-folk, who help him ashore; and while he has nothing to do but to look after his kaiak and his weapons, it is the part of the wom

urther, it is the women's duty to cook the food, to prepare the skins, to cover the kaiaks and woman-boats, to make clothes, a

hey are hired by travelling Europeans. When you have become thoroughly accustomed to their way of life, this makes an unpleasant impression; the kaiak is and must be the indispensable condition of thei

reindeer, while it often falls to the share of the women to drag the game to th

that they can be drawn up in bucketsful into the woman-boats. The fishing continues until a sufficient store is laid up against the winter; when once that is done they care no more about the

sort of battue is made, the seals being hunted

rd in which women have tried

en men and women in the village was unfortunate, there being only five men out of a population of twenty-one. W

y did not choose needles or other feminine implements, but preferred spear-heads for their weapons. It must have been difficult to distinguish them from men; I must doubtless have seen them when I

another, in contrast to those fair ones on our side of the ocean who do nothing but eat, lounge about, gossip, and sleep. When they go beyond the circle of their

w bird-skins, and in short attend to many of their most important occupations, while their tongues are in ceaseless activity; for they are very lively and seldom lack matter for conversation. I cannot, unhappily, quite acquit them of the proverbial feminine loquacity; and

, are you every

hought to which

, and he bad

shape to the

uliar, I shall give a short description of them, as I learnt them from the Eskimos of the Godthaab district

dressed either b

being removed, the skin is rinsed in sea water, and in summer it is then dried, but not in the sun. In winter, it is not dried, but if possible preserved by being buried in snow. Whether in summer or winter, however, it

sily be scraped away with a mussel-shell. For this purpose, however, the Greenland beauties generally prefer to use their teeth, since they can thus suck out a certain amount of blubber, which they consider delicious. Then, in summer, the skins are hung up to dry-not

her of these sorts of skin

for woman-boats as

the black, on the other hand, which are never greased, are preferred in winter. A well-appointed hunter, therefore, ought t

's shoulder-blade. When the skin has been scraped thin it is steeped for a day or so in stale urine until the hairs can be plucked off with a knife. This done, the skin is stretched, by means of

not too warm) until the black membrane is loosened, and then steeped in sea water, as cold as possible. If all the membrane is not removed, t

as the black, are used almost entirely by women, who

ed in the same way as the black kaiak

sed with blood, and then rolled together and put away. This is repeated two or three times until they become entirely black.

e blubber side with a crooked knife, just like the ordinary kamik-skin. Then it is steeped in water, and washed with soft soap; whereupon

dried and rubbed, no w

kins are hung up under the roof to dry. After a few days, the last remnants of fat are removed from them by means of chewing, then they are dried again, then washed in warm water with soda and soap three times over, then rinsed out in very cold water, pressed

r the most part carried on by the women and children, and is very highly relished by reason of the quantity of fat it enables them to absorb. In times of scarcity, the men are often glad enough to be allowed to do their share. It is a strange scene that is presented when one enters a house and finds the whole of its population thus engaged in chewing, each with his skin in his mouth. The excellence of the Greenland bird-skins is d

aping. It is rather startling to us Europeans to see them take up a skin out of the tub of fetid liquor in which it has been steeping, and straightway fix their teeth

adder-nose seal, the small mottled seal, and the cormorant is also used. The outer membranes of the gullet are cut away while it is quite fresh, and then it is drawn over a round stick prepared for the purpose, and greased with blubber. Sometimes

ore conspicuous in the admirable embroideries with which they ornament their trousers, kamiks, and other garments. On the west coast, where they have learned the use of dyes from the Europeans, they now execute these embroideries with small

and the surrounding district often played a very important part in the domestic economy, in some cases even ruling the roost. Judging from my own experience, then, I should say that there is a good deal of

les, and finally the women and children. Dalager, in last century, makes a similar remark in his description of a banquet. The men, he says, take the leading place, and tell each other their adventures, while 'the women too have in the

er, or carrying heavy burdens of one sort or another, the men stand by with their hands thrust into the breast of their jackets, and laugh at them, without offering the slightest help.' But is t

e fact that when a man-child is born, the father is jubilant, and the mother beams w

is, of course, regarded as the kaiak-man and hunter of the future, the support of the family in the old age of his parents, in s

parents and have no relations, they can always, indeed, have plenty of food, but they have often to put up with the most miserable clothing, so that it is pitiful to see them. When they come to the marriageable age, however, they stand on pretty much the same level as girls who have been more fortunately situated; for no such thing as a dowry is known, and their chances simply depend upon 'beauty and solidity,

t in demand in the marriage-market, it sometimes happens that they find a husband, 'especially if they hav

uman cruelty, they answer that when the patient cannot recover, it is better that she should be put away in her last resting-place, than that the survivors should go through the agony of death in observing her misery. But this reasoning will not hold good; for if any male person were thus barbarously dealt with, it would be regarded as the most brutal murder.' Yes, this was ill done; but fortunately such events are very exceptional. Their real reason, moreover, is probably to be found in th