Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1884-05-23
THE TRUE ESQUIMAUx.
A POfnt Barrow Traveller Disppls
Few Current False Ideas.
Lieut. Ray, in Indianapoli, News

- Ohhs ulSDfIS
Few Current False Ideas.
Lieut. Ray, i'll Indianapolis News
What nation OF people inhabit the
country?"
The true Esquimaux. They do not
extend into the interior any distance,
but find their living along and in the
sea. They are truly race of sea peo-
pie. They hive continual struggle
for existence, and resemble children
in their improvidenre If one
chances to secure an unusual
supply OF fool is friends and
neighbors invita tn ,ni>elves to fea It at
his expense, and soon it disappears.
There Is perfect Ommunity OF property
and food interests among them. Hos
pltality Is to them an unknown virtue.
for what is ones equally belongs to
them all. There is vii tee right at
the Point of about l:}O sous, and the
entire ropulat OH o. the coast for about
600 miles Is only 10'. The only
amin i that can exist with them
Is the dog and they are
very scar. e. let notw. .thstanding all
these drawbacks to what We conll cor
slider even mere eX .stence, / think they
are the happiest people on earth. They
are cOntented with their lot. They
have no God, no religion, no govern
ment, no laws, 20 money, nor any idea
OF what it is, no marriage, and yet they
are not Eeathenish in the least They
are very quick witted, and it was not
long after we landed before they were
n l, Al 70 ,t,.1nrek,,,1
signs We made. They speak a tongue
the like OF which | never heard any
where else, and | believe they are in-
digenons to the country, purely lice
p9Opl. do not agree with the the
ries OF ethnologis:s respecting their
origin, that they have been driven from
their original homes by stronger
race. They haze not yet grown be-
yond the stone age, using stone knives,
and other implements. They could
have iron, which i, cast up by the
sea from the numerous wrecks
which it contains, but the
conservative old men refuse to
use it, holding that it is wrong. So
they do have sense of moral percep-
ton. This was further shOwu when it
became necessary for me to change the
law of property. ] could not, OF course,
undertake to feed the entire village
from my stores, as they evinced a
unanimous willingness to have me do.
and at the first they threatened to carry
off everything L had. But after they
understood that tn was not to be al
lowed they always respected ineum ct
tuum.
Their only weapon is a spear, OF
primitive design and workmanship, about
seven feet long. 1t has an ivory point
and along its side three prongs are set
They are curved, and serrated on the
lower edge. When they throw this into
a flock of ducks, if the point misses its
aim the prongs ,atch the bird around
the neck, and the game is secured
They use hand board to accelerate the
force and speed of the weapon, and are
able to project it sixty or seventy yards
with great force. At twenty-five yards
they can drive it through man.
"On the trip to Meade mountains
found evidence of former population,
OF whom the present residents have
not even tradition. There were ruins
of huts centuries old along the north
shore, and the discoveries seemed to
astound the natives who were with me.
How do the Esquimaux compare
with our people in height and tigure?"
81 measured 100 OF them, and the
averaged height was five feet and nine
inches and weight 100 pounds, rather
above that OF average Americans, and l
never saw q fat Esluimau."
What about Their habits?"
We'll, they don't eat blubber nor
drink whale oil. 1 never heard of
case Of the latter, and blubber is only
eaten to prevent starvation. There
has been q good deal of rot written
about the Arctic reg ons and the inhab-
itants thereof. The stories about their
food are portion OF the romancing in
dulged in. The Esquimau may slice
thin piece of blubber and lay It ON his
deer meat, the same as We put butter
on our bread, bat unless he is starvn :
that is the extent of his use of it. And
am informed by whalers and others
who have been up Oh the east coast
that the people there are the same in
their customs and manners as those
among whom l spent two years"