The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-10-13
MORE OF THE ARCTIC EXPEDITION.
The Esquimaux Indians and their Habits
OF Lifc-Curious Hospitality OF their WO-
men--Moro interesting PnrtAcuInrs.

OF Lifc-Curious Hospitality OF their WO-
imcn--Moro Interesting Particulars.
Cne Of reporters has had further talk with
Of the officers OF the Kane expedition and has learned
the following facts relating to the Esqumaux Indians and
other matters
The first time that the party came in connection with
the Esquimaux In March, 1854 about the time when
the long winter night comes to close and when there
two three hours of natural Light in the twenty
four. The ship visited by nine of these Indians,
each driving sedge drawn by eight or ten Esquimsux
dogs These sledges Of peculiar construction They
are between and Eve feet hong aud fourteen inches
wide The body Is made of pieces of the walrus tusks
and Of the horn Of the narvahl unicorn cut into
pieces Of about inch long and ashed together by
snews. The runners faced with the ivory of the
narvahrs horn. The Equimaux very ingenious, and
manage to bora holes by means Of drill worked in
hole in the front tooth. The seges are thus, on
count OF the labor bestowed them very valuable and
bequs athed from father TO q most precious
legacy. II Is no uncommon circumstance, when the
community want to get rid Of bad and lazy member
who has good sledge and team Of dogs induce him
to go out a hunting expedition, and when at great
distance from land to take away his sledge and pear him.
These Indians who visited the Advance had warus
meat to dispose Of which they did for ackknves They
were, however very shy and tmid but Or. Kane and
Mr.. Peterson the interpreter went out to meet them
and at length their midy, and induced them
to board.
The Esquimaux settlements forty miles apart,
and generally consist Of but two three huts contain
ing population Of eighteen twenty These huts
are generally built Of massive stones of them
raj tons weight and il is matter OF surprise how they
could have possibly got them up Like the sedges the
huts handed down most valuable property Some
of them have been built Of whaleboneprobaby from
fish taken by them after being killed by whalers In
they form tents of skins, and, at pinch, of
They hospabie, and fond Of visiting and
these settlements keep up Interchange Of communca
ton and live very happily. Their huts heated by
of stone lamps cut by themselves out of sort o.
soapstone fed with blubber and with wick Of ground
ibss. BY this they manage to keep up tempe
rature OF sixty degrees Fahrenheit while the temperature
out Of doors many degrees below They usually
eat raw meatshe fe h Of walrus and seal but when
they do cook any thing make any soup-which they
make very good-it is by means Of these lamps
Their iceping places platforms, built of stone,
raised eighteen inches from the TO keep
In the amosphere-and covered with grass taken
from islands at distance. Their clothing consists Of
fox skin Jumpers coat with inner jumper Of bird
skn the feathers inward bear skin trowscrs bear skin
boots and bear skin gloves The dress Of the is
similar to that of the men, except that the former
boots extending half way up the thigh while those of the
do not extend to the knee and that the ladies also
which they carry their children The men Of
dium size and stoutly built, while the Of
smaller stature and slgher They do not practise the
Mormon habits OF polygamy, but are, the contrary
extremely particular about their matrimonial relations
This has been the universal testimony Of travellers who
have visited them with all savage nations the
Of the labor devolves upon the The come
in from the hunt, throw down the prey they have
cured, walrus SEAL and the women have then to go
to work, skin the animals prepare the flesh for
| food extract the bones and prepare the sinews
for sewing purposes. One of the ordinary acts OF
hospitality cviity the part of the ladies is to take
fowl, piece Of meat, chew it up very nicely, and
hand to the visIter, who is expected to be
with gratitude and to finish the operation 81 chewing
1t would give them dire offence II there should be any
failure to do due honor to this act of hospitality In all
other respects they exercise to remarkable degree the
| virtue The Esqumaux Of the Northern regions
profess to have dread Of going TO the Danish settle
mens lest they should be eaten up by their Southern
brethren while these last entertain the dread and
with reason Of the Northern tribes Those tribes
however, which live high up the expedition pene
trated to be becoming gradually extnguished and
understand that Dr. Kane has formed the phanthro
pic scheme Of collecting these people together. He pro-
poses, told to gather them from the North
ern regions and bring them down to the Danish settle
ments where they enjoy comforts and be sub
| ject to less vicissitudes.
The Esquimaux have priest, whom they call Anekek
who performs marriages and burial services and sup
posed to have some influence over the heart. When
couple is married. their friends have imposed upon them
| for certain length of time, abstinence from
| tain kinds OF meats; and when a young
young dies, all the young and
young wcmen OF the settlement condemned to
the sort Of abstinence The priest IA believed to
have power over the wairus and SEAL and in time OF
pressing scarcity 10 be able TO call them up the
Of the water Their faith in the Anjekek ia the only ap
proach they have to religious belief They spend their
long winter of four months total darkness in sleeping
and eating never going out to hunt unless pressed by
cessiy They have sort Of amusement except singing
and accompanying motion Of the body, which can
hardly be designated dancing They do tobacco
In any shape do they smoke any other weed
for the purpose Of stmuants would they allow any
smoking in their huts. The children always geta
eced from whatever subject happens to be the taps
in the raternal hut when they are born.
In Leavey Godhaon island Of Disco, the population
q $50 OF 800 is composed principally Esqumaux pure
and half blood They manage 10 keep upa good deal Of
social enjoyment by Of dancing, singing, and
music. They have peculiarly good for music and
manage to play the jew-hsp violin any they
hear The said 10 be great rogncs II not in
stealing genemens hearts at least in prng tin pots
and plates, and anything Of that hind. We
young gentleman bonnccted with the expedition who
bad less than three specimens Of the hair Of young
ladies of Icavely One Of them Ia dark the ravens
wing Of the skiest texture, and from the locks Of
full blooded Esquimaux another is dark brown very
fine and belonged tos half blood and the third Of golden
color and Of equally fne texture, showed unms,akaby
the Danish blood OF the iadys sire We presume these
love tokens will be duly treasured, though In the
National Museum at Washington. This gentleman
has quantity Of skins and furs which he has brought
home with him remDiscences Of Greenland. But they
will have to be famigatcd to undergo other pro-
cess Of publication, for the Equimaux ladies, who
have the tanning operation in charge, no. being able
procure bark have recourse TO qnid which answers
a. well but which careful chambcrnads do not t,icate
the presence Of In q room.
The Esquimaux never resort to the barbarou mode Of
cutting of frost bitten limbs. They apply to them a
piece Of rabbit sAin and always with good effect We