Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1878-11-14
The Greenlander.

Our friend is up early in the morning,
and, unheeding the smarting frests on his
sore face, he puts on his water proof Jack
ct once more to try match with fortune,
and alter so many days of ill-luck W ill
let him catch an enormous seal, of
great regsalk. When he is seen coming
back there is shout from the shore of
ada Kazigpok!' Adam is towing! When
he lands there will be hands enough to
drag the seal ashore and up to the house.
It would be better for the owner if there
were not so many, but remember, it IS
the season Of famine. The greedy young
sters of the place gathered round his
wife, who is already busy fensing, and
has distributed about tie half of the skin
and blubber in tit-bi+s, "tamaorasats," to
the children Of the place. Then there
are some very urgent presents to be made
of the flesh, either raw or boiled. How
ever, they will not forget themselves, and
in the hut all IS topsy-turvy with excite
ment and joy. The lamps are relighted
the diamonds are gone! On the stove
which is fitted for cooking purposes, the
pot sputters and steams; the precious
blubber is used for fuel. The rest of the
skin, with the remainder of blubber is
precipitately brought to the shop of the
Danish monopoly, there to be exchanged
for other articles not half its value, but
which dainties now belong to the daily
wants of The natives whenever they can af-
fordt hem. So the urchins now eat away at
biscuits from Copenhagen and figs from
Symrna. The coffee, from Rio or Jamai-
ca, is roasted in the out-of- doors kitchen
represented by two large flat stones on
the ground, and roasted with will.
The housewife has resumed her seat
beside the pot, and stirs it with as much
ease as If she never had been out of the
habit. Delicious, most blessed kitchen
smells fill the room, and tnere never have
been such happy lot of people as these
If now, perchance, the husband continues
bringing seal now and then-say every
third day-the family will soon be
metamorphosed with regard to its appear
ance, and the household will be furnished
with the most necessary utensils, such as
pots, pans, teacups, spoons and so forth,
all Of which will probably be failing at
the same time next year. And why not
sell your pot and spoon when you have
nothing to cook in your pot and nothing
to eat with your spoon? The future &C
cording to Esquimau philosophy, must
not be considered when you can get a
morsel Of dried fish or blubber to appease
your immediate cravings in exchange for
his valuable iron pot or copper stew pan,
even though it cannot be bought for twice
or thrice the value of the morsel of food
for which he has sold it. That the Green
lander cares nothing for just now, and
never will, l an afraid. Besides, there is
this consolation, that some day he may
have the chance Of getting another's top
or pan, or boots, if he happens to have
two pairs; or even-but this must be said
in very low whisper-even his kayak
for a tit-bit of some kind or other. For
tunately, there is still so much ambition
left that this very seldom occurs. But
there is no end to the ight-heartedness
of these child people, and our friends in
the miserable hut will in no way take
their recent bereavements as a warning
for the future. When Summer comes
round they will enjoy themselves in tbeii
usual easy gong, careless fashion; it will
all come right-"ay ussassimangilak
is what they would say if ever a thought
of the coming Winter should cross their
minds, which, however, it will not. In
all manner of danger they will resign to
fate the same as in the time of famine
and one of the remarks we often hear is,
"Namiglnarpara." must submit to the
will of the Lord.-The Field.