Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1857-09-17


preserved throughout. The same long, black,
straight hair, the same coarse DEVELOPMENT of
features, the same broad fat faces and high
cheek bones, the same height below the mean of
the Caucasian race, the same clothes. of fur.
the same boats (kayaks) of skin, the same huts
OF snow, the same dogs and sledges, tbe same
wandering life and improvident habits.sare the
personal and domestic characteristics described
by all their historians. They have nd govern
ment. They have chief (Nalegak) IN name,
but do not recognize hisauthority livery man
does just as peases him best. They Ire thore
onghiy demoesr-.c. Crime is not s&S as
moral delinqSsncy, only as a vioixaEi ~ pub
lie opinion, dictated by selfish interest, and pun
ishment is only inflicted by private hands as an
act of vengeance. "
They are very peaceable in their social rea-
sions; quarrcls seldom occurring When one
thinks he has been wronged or insured by an
other, he challenges him, not to mortal COM
bat, but to war of words. The friebds of the
parties are summoned. Taking theI stations
in circle, the combatauts enter the list, and
the challenger commences a satirlcal song, ex-
tempore, keeping time with a seal skin tambo-
rine He having finished his opponnt COM
mences in the same strain, and he whocan make
the audience laugh most at his cutsng jests
gains the victory.
Their religion is simple. They believe in the
existence of good Spirit (rorugarsuas) and of
an evil Spirit, who is his wife or sister Some
think the Torugarsuak lives in greatbouse in
the sea, surrounded by all kinds of seaanimals,
and great pot near by, always flied With boil
ing seals for the dsembodied spirits. Others
think he lives in the mansion of the ppon sit
uated on the borders of lake aboulding in
Salmon, surrounded by rich country, covered
with grass and herds of reindeer. When this
Lake overfows, it produces rain, and it is the
Spirits playing at football that causes the au-
rora borealis. The evil spirit lives dovn in the
depths OF the sea, in q great castle guarded by
monster seal. She has power over all the sea
animals and fishes, and when there is scarcity
they suppose she has them under the SPELL. 70
break this spell, the priest (Aueekok) is sum-
moned, and be is supposed to make descent,
guided by his familiar spirit (rorng glk) first
through the kingdom of the souls, then over an
abyss which they cross on rope oi walrus
skin, then not without great peril through the
sentinel seals, directly to the throne of,his bar
barian fury. Seeing them, she seizes sene feath-
ers and tries to barn them, and f.she ge,e sue
cess Ial, The hog.;;9 vsAstl I=tsla, .he.a,
and they would be her prisoners. 9Gg they al
ways get hold of her by the hair before she &C.
complishes her object, and in ,hAcuHle that
ensues the walrus and seal escape.Y
DR.. Hayes gave some of his experience in re,
gard to snowhouses, and said that although
they might not be considered exactly comfort
able, particularly to those who have weakness
tor dry clothing, and joints that did not creak
in the morning with frost, yet he had often slept
soundly in them
Dr. Kane, in bis account of the expedition of
which Dr. Hayes was a member. speaks very
highly of the hospitality and good faith of those
simpleminded natives Of Greenland. When
they first came in contact with the whites whose
lot had been so Unexpectedly cast among them,
they were disposed to pilfering but the exercise
OF little au uthority soon corrected this habit,
and the most amicable relations were establish
ed. The natives shared their scanty supplies
with the strangers, and at all times welcomed
them with pleasure to their huts and to share
with them in the hunt The following is an
extract from the chapter in which Dr. Kane de-
scribes his parting with his neighbors, when he
set out upon his long journey to reach the more
irequented settlements to the South, after he
had abandoned his vessel:
Whatever may have been the faults of these
Esquimaux heretofore, stealing vas the only
grave one. Treachery they may have conceived;
and have reason to believe that under su
perstitious fear of an evil inhuence from our
presence, they would, at one tius, have been
glad to destroy US. But the day bf all this had
passed away. When trouble came to us and to
them, and we bent ourselves to their habits
when we looked to them to procure us fresh
meat, and they found at our poor Oomiak- soak
shelter and protection during their wild bear
hunts-then we were so blended in our interests
as well as model of life that eycry trace of en-
nifty wore away God knows ks-since they
prolessed friendship, albeit the he'maginary pow
ers OF the Auge- kok-soak and the marvellous six
shooter which attested them may have had their
influence, never have friends been more true
Although since 0hsen's death pumberless arti-
cles OF nestimable value to them, have been
scattered upon the ice UNMATCHED, they have
not stolen nail. 1t was only yesterday that
Metek, upon my alluding to the manner in
which property of all sorts was exposed without
pifering, explained through Petersen, in these
two short sentences, the argument of their mo-
rality
You have done US good we are not hungry;
we will not take, (steal.) You have done US
good we want to help you !; we are friends. y
Very HARD.-A Jolly fellow had an office
next to Doctors. One day an elderly gentleman
of the old fogy school bundered into the wrong
shop.
DR.. X irl"
Don't live here" says P, who was in