Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1857-02-28
NJ | S c Z L L A N Y.
THE NORTHERN EsQUMAUX,
THEIR MANNERS AND CUSTOMS.


In an article in Pmnam's Mogo.ine, giving
account of the Kane Relief Expedition, we find
the following interesting account Of the Esqui-
maux -
"rhese unsophisticaled children of the FROST
land never wash off dirt for the simple reason
that OF dirt, as such, they have no conception
or idea II their faces get SO foul as 10 clog
their nostrils, they open air passages Just as
they clear away the olla from the door of their
tents when it impedes their ngress and epress.
On our explaining to woman that we wished
her TO wash her face, she at first refused but
bong bribed with paper OF needles, she caught
"a bird, skinned it, and splitting on lis fresh bleed
ing skin, polished her face with it. Nv friend
Mayouk had dirt on hi, face one-quarter of an
inch thick when ] first saw him. The next
' asa yeI Rs did gs! 5scGGazs him and
Mayonk 10 me. Two of our sailors had caught
him, and, in spite of his struggles, insisted on
washing his face. He did not seem 10 apprc-
clale the improvement il had made in his ap-
pearance; on the contrary he was quite morti-
fled, for he had become the laughing stock of
his fellows.
81 would like to speak plainly of the person
al habits of these people, lift were only for the
'heneht OF class of philosophers around us who
delight in chanting the vices ofcivization, and
dreaming of what man might be if he could on
ly get back 10 state of nature. But there are
pictures, and ife-like ones, that we cover with
"A curtain
"lmprovidence is another trait of these fresh
children of impulse We were at their village
as late as the 10Th of August. Yet, although
the auks we're flying around them in such guam
titles that one man could have been able 10
catch thousand an hour, they had not enough
prepared to last two days. They were dis
gustlns'y fat, always eaing-perhaps an av-
erage ration of eighteen pounds per dem-yet
they had lost seven by starvation during the
last winter, though relieved, as far as we could
make 1t, by Dokio Haynes doctor Kane.)
"They suffer dIeadfulIy from cold, too, yet
there Is abundance of excellent peat, which
they might dig during the sumner. They
know'its value as fuel. and are simply too lazy
to stack it. The little aux, which forms their
principal food, may he said also to be their prin-
cpal fuel. Indeed it quite fills the place which
the seal holds among the more southern Esqui-
maux. Their clothes are lined with its skins
.ihey burn the fat, and setting aside the liver
and hearts, TO be dried as bonbons during the
winter, they eat meat and intestines, cooked
and raw, both cold and at blood heat. | re-
msmber ore night child woke up CRYING with
cold feet. His mother reached out 10 one side
of the tent, took up pair ofbirds, killed them,
skinned them, turned the skin inside out and
drew them, while sill warm, on his feet 10
serve as stockings, pulling his little boots on
over them.
They are very hospitable the minute we
arrived all hands began to catch birds, and pre-
pare them for u.s. Tearing off the skins with
their teeth, they stripped the beasts to be cook
ed, and presented us with the juicy cnirails and
remaining portions TO eat raw, TO stay our ap-
peilies. The vands did not look INVITING IN
us who witnessed their preparation; bu, they
looked so hurt at our refusal to eat, that we
mad to explain that it was not cooked. but raw
birds we wanted This was satisfactory.-
ihey set out at once TO catch some for US, and
In lew moments three of them were on the
way down in the boat loaded with birds.
lhelr way of catching them is peculiar
They have small scoop nets, attached TO lone
poles, not unlike those used for CATCHING en,o-
biological specimens. A man will take one of
'hese' and having stripped off his jumper and
'cu i's sleeves so that he may use it as 4 sack,
VIII lay himself down on a hillside and net
the BIRDS, three or four at lime, as thew ay
over, examining them into The Jumper rs fast as
eaneht. When he has got enough he proeeeds
deliberately TO XIX them, taking them one by
one ahu olilng their heads or. if he does M, !
wish to take their lives at once, merely lockino
their wings. We saw piles of ouks lyin9
about the village in this condition.
"Ihey have no regular hours lor rooo,. =.
sleeping but zach sleeps, wakes and eats nc
pest pleases him, / don't know ,ny,Liam
winch impresses ono more forciblv with ,he
disgusting nearness of man to the beasi ,h"
70 see human being thus wake from sleon
stretch out his hand, seize bird, and af,er dp'