The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1885-10-29
THE PEOPLE OF LABRADOR.

Their Homes and OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
GUS Living Gained by Fishing and Sealing
Hard and Dangerous Mode ofLife With
But Few ~Enjoyments.
If environment moulds a people, then
the Labradoreans should have strong
traits. The climate, the unique feat
ures of the country, the undisputed
supremacy of the sea, the isolation
from the world-all their circum-
stances, indeed-ares so strongly mark
ed as to be irresistible. The popula-
ton of the Canadian part of the coast
down to the boundary line at Blanc
Sablon-is of French origin, Canadian
and Acadian; the Newfoundland part
of Labrador-the Strait of Belle Isle
and the Atlantic coasts inhabited
by English-speaking people. Moravi-
ans and Exquimaux are found IN the
far North. The French Canadians
consist of two classes; a part of them
come here every spring to fish for the
merchants, and return every fall to
their families and small homesteads
between Quebec and Gaspe; othersl live
here permanently, own little isolated
establishments, and fish on their own
account. The Acadians have collected
IN two principal settlements, Esqui-
maux Point and Natashquan, where
they have their schools, priests,
churches, and some other features of
village life.
| was fortunate in beingstorm-stay-
ed at a few of these French Canadian
homes, where l found now and then
o person able to give mesome account
Of the summer and winter life of the
people. To begin with external and
material things, the average home Of
Labrador generally consists o farough
board dwelling, with two rooms and a
garrett, a small dock and store-house
for receiving, cleaning, curing, and
storing fish, and two or three open
fishing boats. Allthese building perch
like anxious water-fowls on the bare
rocks; they neverimpress MT as homes,
for they make for themselves no niche
or place in the surface of the earth;
you expect them to be washed or
blown away at the next gale-as they
sometimes are. For the sake of be-
ing near the fishing grounds these
shelters are generally established on
some outlying island Offering a moor
ng or else a beach for the boats;
they seem to be banished from the
earth asfar as possible seward. They
stand up gaunt, stark naked in the
gales, IN the midst of a desert of sea
and rocks.
In the best places there may be in O.
hollow a little sand, enriched with de-
caying fish, where a few turnips and
cabbages manage to show themselves
duringa briefseason. Youget agleam
Of hope and horror an b%eholding a
quaint scaffold about Is feet high; but
it Is not a gallows for the ending of
life, only a platform for keeping the
rozen fish for dogmeat. The interior
Of these homes isnot quites so distress
ing as these hard surroundings, for
the human hand indoors can make
its mark, which is not always a clean
n The furniture, diet, costumes,
are rough and commonplace; but the
people are courteous and kind, and
they observe well their religious rites.
Their isolation is such that they keep
the of time by marking the days
of the week on the door-post. An ex-
ception to this dreariness is to be met
here and there, at a lighthouse, or at
The home of a merchant. | asked an
intelligent fishermanhow hecould con-
tent himself in such a place.
"Well, sir, l expect we're fools to
stay here. The worst Of it is, our
children are growing upas ignorant as
we are Just like thedogs. Hardly any
of us can read or write. Our houses
are too far apart to get the children
together for school, excepting at Es-
luimaux Point, Natashquan, and
Mutton Bay. Then, too, we can'tsee
the priest more than once or twice a
year, and that's very inconvenient
about dying, for pleurisy and consump-
lion are very headstrong. And there's
NJ doctor at all, nor any roots Or
herbs or medicines. We keep alive on
pain-killer and salts that the traders
sell. It's a hard life, and we don't
i've to be very old. We have to do
all our own work-iack of all trades,
you know. When we came here to
i've, my wife and l cut all the timber
in the w~interfor building these houses,
'awed it by hand in a pit, and in the
spring RATED it down the river"
Sealing, one of the peculiarindustries
Of Esquimaux Point and Natashquan,
is the most venturesome occupation
,ftheL abradorcoast Seals aretaken
in three ways-by hunting them along
the bays and shores in boats or on the
ice, by netting them as fish are taken,
and by following them out to sea in
vessels and killing them on the foes.
Isometimes met a boat sailing about
the islands and bays with two men
aboard eagerly watchingt the water and
the rocks for the harbor seals. Dressed
in coats and skull-caps made OF seal
skin, they often creep along the rocks
With the motion ofthe seal, and decoy
the animal by calling. Some of them
have a trained dog.
"What is he good for in such work."
/ inquired. "He can hardly be a re-
riever for all animal weighing hun
dreds of pounds"
r.yo, 70 10 civ. ;f coo1c ora fot u-baD