Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1885-11-11
THE ESQUIMAUX.
Difference Between the Eastern
and w estern Tribes.
Innults Dwelling Along the seacoast From
Labrador to the Pacific Ocran The
Dialect OF tho Various Tribe An
Hospitable and Honest Race.

Of Labrador begins race that, follow
ing the coast line of the polar waters of
the North American continent and its
outlying islands, extends to the Pacific
ocean, past the peninsula of Alaska,
across its base, to point almost within
sight of Mount st. Elias. The distance
thus covered is from 5000 to 1000 miles
of coast line, about 10000 miles being
in the distant United States colony of
Alaska. Some of these Esquimaux are
BehriDg Strait; but even if properly
called Esquimaux they comprise very
small remnant of the great family.
They are nearly always sea-coast abid-
ing people, existing upon the products
of the sea, such as whales, walrus and
seal, although many trips are made in
land to secure the skins of the reindeer,
the almost exclusively Esquimau cloth
ing. Here and there in widely separat-
ed sections is found tribe of this fami-
" which does not dwell near the salt
water, the Arctic fish inducing them to
reside near inland rapids or rivers of n
favorable position allowing them to sub
sist throughout the year on reindeer and
musk oxen. They, however, form a
very small portion of the race The
dialects of the curious language of these
tribes vary slightly, but an Esquimau
from Labrador or Greenland could con-
verse with one from Behring Strait or
even those facing the Pacific Ocean
ha hac I'll
to these tribes as the title
Indian has been given to the
savages in lower ATTITUDES, and they
do not recognize it. Their name for a
person of their own tribe is Innuit, rs
usually spelled, and from this as basis
traveller among them may make, as
with any word OF their language, many
variations, even in the same tribe. A
"revised version" of the word, based on
the way have heard it most frequently,
would be Theoretically spelled "Een-u-
Get, the accent being on the first syl-
liable. Some writers assert that these
people are strongly opposed to being
called Esquimaux, considering it term
of reproach, or, to put it mildly, not a
national compliment. Ny experience
among them has been that they had
little or no feeling in the matter, not
understanding the title any better than
they would had they been termed
dudes" Our own knowledge of the
derivation of the word is quite foggy, 1t
having been derived from various expla-
nations 10y different authorities. A word
from a neighboring band of Indians,
meaning "the eaters of raw flesh" is
said to dovetail into the expression very
well. DR.. Richardson asserts that the
French Canadian voyageurs originated
the name from the words ceuI qui incur
Chose who mcw like cat). The force
of the comparison is not clear, however.
Further west an Indian word sigpifying
"medicine men, is claimed. The east
crn Esquimaux greet strangers with ex-
prcssions of "Kimo kimom (welcome!
welcomeD and it is thought that they
were called from this "Les Kimo" lin
French by the Labradorian French
Canadians), a word that can be twisted
into "L' Esquimau" with about one-half
the strain on the conscience usually en-
ployed in tracing linguistic derivatives.
The title, however, is the only one they
recognize, and it was soon adopted by
my little party, who by the time our So
journ of two and half years among
them was over no more thought of the
other expression than did the IDnuits
themselves.
So widely do the Esquimaux vary in
their characteristics, both physical and
moral, between the Atlantic and Pacific
that most of my observations must be
confined to those tribes among whom
my own journeys were made, or those
of Hudson's Strait and Bay and those
OF the Arctic Ocean in and near King
Williams Land, that large island lust
off the mouth of Backs Great Fish
River. Even in these tribes some start
ling differences are found Those of
Hudson Strait was among only while
entering and coming out of that ice
bound region. They are quite small in
statue, having little sltlike eyes, with n
Mongolian slant, and very well repres-
ented by the pictures generally made of
that people. AS the Greenland Esqui-
maux, so easily accessible to navigators,
have been seen more frequently than
any other tribe, they have been illus
trated most, and it is To these pictures and
descriptions that re Ter when speaking
of the Innuits of HUDSON Strait. These
pictures will not suffice as faithful
representations and descriptions after
the Bay is entered to the west. They
have been known for years TO the white
people, being on the line of travel of the
Hudson Bay Company's supply ships
from London to York Factory, in West
crn Hudson's Bay, at the mouth of the
Nelson River. Like all savages coming
in contact with only those whose sole
object is the making of money, they
have absorbed many OF the vices of civ
ilization without a correspondingamount
Of its virtues. They have been reported
as being inclined to petty thefts from
ships II not closely watched. and their
summer veracity remains frozen from
the seventies Of tho winter. All of these
traits Of character are the opposite usu-
ally given to the majority of this great
family. How much of this is inherent
in them or has been acquired by finan-
cial contact with traders IL is hard to
say, but compared with their
boreal brethren of the bay
they absorb like sponge, and
are as unreliable as the circular of q
summer resort. They are the homeliest
Esquimaux ever met, and while none
Of them are at all beautiful, this particu-
lar variety is the uglicst ever saw, and
some of my experience is spread among
Indian tribes and other savages celc-
brated in this particular line. Their
noses-if they can be said to have any
are spread all over the center of their
faces, and hardly rise above their pro-
tuberant cheek bones. They have a
ccronic grin on their countenances, indi-