New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-01-02
Slelr 0rleans 8fpnbliean.
OFFICIAL JOURkAL-0F THE UNITED STATES
OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS
& Greenland Parliament.

L is pleasant to contemplate Tue cHdn.e
which has come over the !squlnlauX OF
Greenland since the Christian missionaries
first came among them. AT the time wren
rhoy oyercame the mortimer. and occupied
the country which a hardy Christian people
had for a long while possessed ID peace,
they led a purely nomadic life, and dressed
solely in the skins of wild beasts. Now
they live in permanent communities anu
have adopted the habits and, II some meas
ure. the customs OF civilized men; oniiht
MANY savage peoples. the Introduction OF
the forms OF civilization among them has
no. been attended with the usual CORE
snoudjuy mischic:-a circumstance dae, III
n GREAT measure if not wholly, TO the pa
1ernal care of the Danish government
which. beginning with tie first MISSIONARY,
Hans Egede. in l72l, has been continued
with much skill h his successors ana ny
none more conspicuously than Dr. Henry
Kink Who has passed "A considerable por-
tion of his time in Greenland. and was
until lately, royal inspector Tor tie southern
districts.
The PRINCIPAL feature of DR.. Kinks admin
istration il the Parliament OF natives, ana III
the establishment of this arltngelneht us
author has earned as much credit Tor skllieu
henevolence AS he had before acquired ior
scientific explorations. ].
The idea of an ESquimaux Parliament
etrrIck me as something ludicrous when L
first heard of it, but upon gaining an inti-
mate acquaintance with It's workings 1
changed NV mind. and became convinced
that other ParliamentS might initiate them
with advantage.
Each little town or hunting station OF the
district is AT liberty 10 send up a representa-
i've TO a seat in the Parliament at Jullana-
sbaab. the number of representatives peing
twelve. The most important towns, beside
the capital, are Nenortalik. Fredellcksdal
Iicbtenau. Igalliko and kraksiment.
The Parliament was in session during our
stav, and | visited it as a privileged guest {:
for. be it known. the Julianashaao Parma
ment sits with closed doors. The Parilainent
house is not an imposing editice. l should
say its dimensions are about sixteen W.
twenty feet. 1t is one story high, - built OF
rough boards, lined on the inside and PANT
ed blue. and on the outside is plasrered over
with pitch. 1t has no lobby FOR the accom-.
mediation of people who come to the capital
with axes for the public grindstone. and no
committee rooms for the better confusion OF
the public business.
In the middle, of the one room. or hall,
stood a plain pine table, with a PLAIN bench
on either side of it, and Oh each bench SIT
SIX parliamentarians, dressed III seal-shln
pantalOons and boots and Guernsey frocks,
across which there was a very large diS-
play of s~uspenders. Each parliamentarian
head was covered with a cap composed OF
the brightest kind of scarlet cloth, orna-
mented with a broad gilt band. The royal
embiems were embroidered in front. and
above these was a golden bear, with a
crown on his head, standing uncomiorta-
bly, on his hind legs, to typitT Greenland.
There was a thirteenth cap at the head OF
the table. and this was worn by Mr.. Anthem.
pastor of ~Julianashaab. and president OF
J~ulianashaab Parliament e otficlo.
The aggregate amount OF dignity pos
sessed bv this Parliament was wonderful TO
see. To be sure the pa"riiamcntarIans were
somewhat impregnated with a hshy aroma,
indicative of their nationality and calling.
but neither the tishy aroma nor the dignity
appeared to interfere with its transaction OF
business: On the contrary, they seemed to
be working like beavers. and indeed, they
disposed OF the matters brought before
them with such an amazing degree OF
promptness that | fell 10 wondering
whether dignity would not be a good thing
20 introduce IL pariiainents, congresses, as
semblies. and such like things generally.
The first business was IL form o. q petl-
ton for relief. Tn petitioner stood there
in person, locking the very picture OF Tor
lorn destitution. He stated that he had
lost his canoe (kavak), and he produced
evidence enough to show, without any
swearing. false or otherwise, that It had
been crushed and lost in the ice. The man.
who had hardly clothes on his back to cover
his nakedness. showed further that he had
a wife and family who had no friends 10
assist them, and were entirely dependent on
himself for support. thought it a doubt
full support at best. and so appeared to
think tie Parliament, for they voted an
order for a certain daily allowance. The
next case was of a young hunter. whose
kayak had been crushed by the ice, and
who had not the means to build a new one,
They voted him a loan. A third case was
an old man. who received one dollar to buy
a spear with; another was partly a loan
and partly a gift to a man who had a fam
ily Of girls. and required materials for an
ooiniak. Still another made application foI
and received assistance to bury a dead
husband.