Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-10-29
LIFE In GREENLAND.
A Ball I'm the Arctic Regi0ns--How
she Esquimaux Dance-Every Fam
flY has m NI0eRr

A Ball I'm the Arctic Regions How
she Esquimaux Dance-EveFy Fam.
lily has Clock.
A correspondent of the Tribune, writing
from Greenland, gives the following account
OF some of the manners and customs of the
natives:
In the evening we attended q native ball
on shore. The ball room (used as carpen-
tershop during the day. is about sixteen feet
square, aud there men, women, and children
all congregated to participate 10 the festivi-
ties of the occasion. The floor was gener-
ally crowded with dancers, while in the
corners, on the carpenters bench, and in
every space three feet squa. e, were huddled
together groups of children, scarcely more
than knee high, also engaging in the native
dances, not wholly unlike the s'hoe-down"
of the Southern negroes. The dancing,
though peculiar, was better than we ex-
pected to see, and in the intervals there was
some very good waltzing. The band con-
sisted of two violins, both we'll playej, and
a small keg with piece of seal-sSin tightly
drawn over one END in imitation of drum
head. There was DO opportunity given foI
hirtstions at these dances, for the moment
the music stopped the girls without
WoibllH lOI IuCH OcCJIty W Ou6
side of the room and huddled together
like 80 many bees. Nor is there any
fear of torn dresses by stepping OF.
trails. They escape all such Difficult
ties by being clad in their simple at
tire of seal-skin jacket, breeches and boots.
On first landing On shore we were met by
the male portion of the community, and
few feet further on we met the women,
with their infants upon their backs, carried
in kind of pouch or pocket. They greet
ed us with q respectful bow, and with a
broad grin upon their countenances. The
next thing which attracted our attention
was the strong, disagreesble smell from the
drying slabs of seal meat, seal oil, seal
blubber, and offal. The comforts of Esqui-
maux life are numerous. A half-dozen
seal-skins constitute bed and bedding for
two persons. They also hsve an iron stove,
in which they burn peat (the only fuel they
haveD two pots for boiling rice and other
food, rude lamp or pan in which they
burn seal oil, using dried moss for wick
ing; half-dozen dogs and q sledgs, a
KAYAK, with two lances and har-
poems; fshing-lines, mate ial and imple-
ments for repairing clothing, and Ono mat
ter how poor they may seem to be,) have
never seen family who did not possess
clock, though very few of them are set to
the correct Time. We had sealskin dressed
and prepared for making clothing for those
on board the Tigress; also for those who
comprise the members Of the expedition in
our steam launch to go to Northumberland
island, via Cape York, in search of the
Polaris. Our stay at Godhaven being so
brief, it was impossible to have the clothing
made up, but the officers sud others on
board the Juniata, who had purchased
some for their own use, readily contributed
them to aid the expedition, and ths Gov
ernment will furnish others in return, to be
made up in this place.
We purchased eighteen sledge dogs al
Holsteinborg for the use of the Tigre 's, aud
left them at Godbsven In charge of ma
tive, who is to look after them and feed
them until the arrival of the Tigress, when
they will be quartered on board of that YES
sell.
The sledge dogs OF Greenland are driven
in teams, each numbering from four to six
teen dogs. They always go abreast of one
another, and frequently become entangled
in their endeaYors to branch off in other
directions than the one intended by the
driver. The harness consists of single
trace, made of seal hide, which passes from
the chest over the launches to the sledge.
There are no reiDs used to guide them
in any particular direc ion, but they are
directed in their course by whip with a
lash about twenty feet long, while the han
die is only as many inches in length. 1t
requires deal of practice to use the whip
dexterously. At first one is apt to get the
lash wound around bis body, or to strike
himself A driver, though bis leading dog
is well drilled, must learn to hit any partic.
ulsr dog in his team with this strand Of seal
skin, or else he will have no control over
them. The natives make q practice of
travelling in couples, 50 that they can re-
l;eve one another in using the whip, which
they find tedious employment, and by this
means, one can rest on his sledge, following
along after the forward one.