Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1875-01-31

variegated oscillations. graduating through
the various tints of blue and green, and
violet and crimson; darting, flashing, or
streaming in yellow columns, upwards,
downwards; now blazing steadily, now in
wavy undulations, sometimes up to the
very zenith; momentary lighting up in
majestic grandeur the cherries frozen
scenery, but only to fall back with ex-
hausted force, leaving a denser obscurity.
Natures electric lantern suspended for a
time in the frosty vault of heaven ;-mu-
nificent natures fire works; with the polar
bear and polar man as spectators. ..
In January the brilliancy of the stars is
dimmed perceptibly atnoon, in February
golden tint rests upon the horizon at the
same hour; in March, the incipient dawn
broadens: in April, the doing Eskimo
rubs his eyes and crawls forth; in May,
the snow begins to melt, the impatient
grass and flowers arrive as it departs. In
June, the summer has fairly come. Under
the incessant rays Of the never-setting
sun, the snow speedily disappears, the ice
breaks up, the glacial earth softens for a
depth of one, two, or three feet; cir
culation is restored to vegetation, which,
Jul NIuiCi lloiei DCCh StcppCu, W.
believe Sir John Richardson, even the
largest trees freezing to the heart. Sea
and plain, and rolling steppe lay aside
seamless shroud of white, and brilliant
tint of emerald overspreads the land
scape. All nature, with one resounding
cry, leaps up and claps her hands for joy.
Flocks of birds, lured from their winter
homes, fill the air with their melody !;
myriads of wild fowls send forth their
shrill cries; the moose and the reindeer
flock down from the forests; from the re-
sonant sea comes the noise of spouting
whales and barking seals; and this so
lately dismal cherries region, blooms
with an exuberance of life, cqualed only
by the shortness of its duration And in
token of a just appreciation of the Crea-
ator's goodness this animated medley
man and beasts, and birds and fishes
rises up, divides, falls to- and ends in eat
ing or being eaten.
The physical characteristics of the Es
kimos are fair complexion, the skin,
when free from dirt and paint, being al
most white; medium stature, we'll pro-
portioned, thick-set, muscular, robust,
active, with small and beautifully shaped
hands and feet; pyramidal head; a
broad egg-shaped face; high rounded
cheek bones; flat nose; small oblique
eyes; large mouth; teeth regular but
well worn; coarse black hair, closely cut
upon the crown, leaving a monk-like
ring around the edge, and a paucity of
beard. The men frequently leave the
hair in natural state. The women of
Icy Reef introduce false hair among their
own, wearing the whole in two immense
bows at the back of the head. At Point
Barrow they separate the hair into two
parts or braids, saturating it with train
oil, and binding it into stiff punches with
are short, so that in a sitting posture they
look taller than when standing.
On the northern coast the women paint
the eyebrows and tattoo the chin; while
the men only pierce the lower Ii under
one or both corners of the mouth, and
insert in each aperture double-headed
sleeve button or dumb-bell-shaped lab
ret of bone, ivory, shell, bone, glass or
wood. The incision, when first made, is
about the size of quill, but as the aspi-
rant for improved beauty grows older,
the size of the orifice is enlarged until it
reaches width of half or three-quarters
of an inch. In tattooing the color is APP
piled by drawing thread under the skin
or pricking it in with a needle. Different
tribes and different ranks in the same
tribe, have each their peculiar form of
tattooing. Theplebeian female of certain
bands is permitted to adorn her chin with
but one vertical line in the center, and one
parallel to it on either side, while the
more fortunate noblesse mark two verti-
cal lines from each corner of the mouth.
| A feminine cast of features, as is common
with other branches of the Mongolian
race, prevail in both sexes. Some travel
ers discover in the faces of the men a
characteristic expression of Foreclosures,
and in those of the women, an extraordi-
nary display of wantonness. A thick
coating of filth and strong odor of train
oil are inscparable from an Eskimo, and
the fashion of llbrets adds in no wise to
his comeliness.
For covering to the body, the Eskimos
employ the skin of all the beasts and
birds that come within their reach. Skins
are prepared in the fur, and cut and
sewed with neatness and skill. Even the
intestines of whales and seals are used in
the manufacture of waterproof over
dresses. The costume for both sexes con-
sist Of long stockings or drawers, over
which are breechcs, extending from the
shoulders to below the knees; and trock
or jacket, somewhat shorter than the
breeches with sleeves and hood This
garment is made whole, there being no
openings, except for the head and arms.
The frock of the male is cut at the bot
tom nearly square, while that of the fe-
male reaches little lower, and terminates
before. and behind in a point or scallop.
The tail of some animal graces the hinder
part of the male frock; the woman's has
a large hood in which she carries her in
FAINT. Otherwise, both sexes dress alike
and as, when stripped of their facial dec
orations, their physiognomies are alike,
they are not unfrequently mistaken one for
the other They have boots Of walrus OF
seal-skin, mittens or gloves of deer-s skin
and intestine water proofs covering tl,s
whole body. Several kinda Of fur fire.
| ouentlv cnter into the cOmposition of the
Same garment. Thus the body of the
frock, generally of reincser-skin, may
be Of bird, bear, seal, mink, or squirrel
| skin; while tho hood may be of fox-skin,
! the lining of harc-skin, the fringe Of VOL
erine-skin, the gloves of fawn-skin. Two
suits are worn during the coolest weather;
the inner one with the fur next to the
skin, and the outer ono with the fur out
-ori Thua with their stomachs we'll