The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1857-05-06
The Northern Esqumaux.
THEIR MANNERS AND CUSTOMS.

account Of the Esquimaux -
These unsophistcated children of
the frostand never wash off dirt--for
the simple reason that of dirt, they have
no conception or idea. If their faces
get 50 foul as to clog their nostrils, they
open air passages JUS, as they clear away
the ofIal from the door of their tents
when it impedcs their ingress. On our
explaining to woman that we wished
her to wash her face. she at first refused: !:
but being bribed with paper of needles
she caught bird, skinned it, and spit.
ting on its fresh bleeding skin, polished
her face with it. My friend Mayouk
had dirt on his face one quarter of an
inch thick when | first saw him. The
next time | met him | did not recognize
him. and actually requested Mayouk
himself to send Mayouk to me. Two
of our sailors had caught him and in
spite Of his struggles, insisted on wash.
ing his face. He did not seem to appre-
ciatc the improvement in his appearance;
on the contrary, he was quito mortified
for he had become the laughing stock of
his fellows
would like to speak plainly of the
parsonal habits of these people, if it
were only for the benefit Of class Of
philosophers around US who delight in
chanting the vices of civilizatian, aud
dreaming Of what man nj ght be if be
could only get back OF a state af nature.
But there are pictures, and life like ones,
that We cover with a curtain.
Improvidonco is another trait Of
these fresh children Of impulse We
were at their village as late as tho 10Th
of August. Yet, although the auks
were flying around them in such quaint.
ties that one man could have been able
to catch a thousand an hour, they had
not enough prepared to last two days.
They were disgustngly fat, always eat.
ing-perhaps an average ration Of cigh.
teen pounds per diem yet they had lost
seven by starvation during the last win
ter, though relieved, as far as we could
make it, by Dokto Haynes Doctor
Kanc)
They suffer dreadiuly from cold, too
yet tharc is abu1dince Of oxcellent peat,
which they might dis during the summer.
They know its value as fuel and arc
simply to lazy to stack il. The little
aux, which forms their principal, food,
may be said also to be their principal
fuel Indeed it quito fills tho place
which the seal holds among tho more
s1u'horu Esqui,naux, Their clothes arc
lined with its skins they barn the fat,
aud 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-
membered one night a child woke up
crying with cold feet His mother reach.
ed out to one side of the tent, took up
pair Of birds, killed them, skinned them,
turned the skin iusido out aud drew
them, while still warm, on his feet TO
serve as stockings. pulling his little boots
on over them
They are very hospitablc the minute
we arrived all hands began to catch birds
and prepare them for US. Tearing off
the skins with their tceih, they stripped
the beasts to be cooked, aud presented
Us with the jnicy entrails and re emaiuing
PORTIONS to eat raw, to stay our appetites.
The viauds did not look inviting to us
who witnessed their preparation but
they looked SO hurt at our refusal TO cat
that we had to explain that it was not
cooked, but raw birds we wanted This
was satisfoctory,-They set out at once
to catch some for US, and in few mo.
ments three Of them wero on the way
down in the boat, loaded with birds.
"Their way of catching them is Pc
culiar. They have small scoop not., at.
tachcd to long polc9,not unlike those used
for catching chronological specimens, A
man will toko one Of these, and having
stripped off his jumper, and tied its
sleeves so that hs may use it as a sack,
will lay himself down on a hillside and
net the birds, three or four at tine, as
they fly over, cramming them into tho
jumpers as fast as caught When he has
got enough he proceeds deliberately to
kill them, taking them one by one and
biting their heads; or, if he does not
wish to take their lives at once, merely
locking their wings. We saw piles of
arks lying about the village in this con,
dition.
They have no regular hours for meals
or sleeping, but each sleeps, wakes and
eats as best pleascs him. | don't know
ANYTHING which impresses one more for.
chilly with the disgusting nearuess of
man to the beast, than to see human
being thus wake from sleep, stretch out
his hand, seize bird, and after dcvour.
ing it raw, like a wolf, turn over and 90
to sleep again. And yet they are not
wanting in courtesy, of quito an eleva
ting character. Mrs Mitek, the wif9 of
a chief, apologized to me for her seeming
want Of hospitality on one occasion, and
explained to me by most expressive
signs, and no iuconsiderable exposure of
her person, that she hoped she was about
to present the house of Mitek with an
heir She was fortunate as she hoped,
for | saw Them not quite an hour after,
with fine boy both parties looking as
unconcerned as if nothing had happened
to either. The small image was the i'm.
ago of his father, ane was dressed in a
costume similar in cut and color to that
of the great chipf hoots hraeches and