West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1885-03-27
LIFE IN ICELAND.
Queer cusAes>s ot tho People n tho LANE
OF Eternal Snsva

OF Eternal Snsvs.
Miss OfSf Kra~es rs an Intelligent
little ENquimau woman, twenty seven
years of age. She relates that she was
born in the northern part OF Greenland.
and lived there until she was fifteen
years of age, when reports having
reached her father of the warmer.
better country of Iceland. the family
emigrated there on dog-Sled During
her stay of five years in Iceland she
was, TO use her own word. dedicated"
and learned, among other things, OF
Amcrca and her people.
Having great desire to satisfy her
curiosity concerning us, she camo with
anumber of lcclandcrs TO British Amer
lea, and from the Eastern coast
finally came TO Manitoba To an En-
Qurcr reporter she said. "My country
Is very different from this. / will cX.
plain how we build houses i'm my coun-
try We press the snow into had
bricks and build tent-shared hous,.
Inside we line the walls and floor with
fur. We have an opening left for n
door which is high enough for n child
eight years old here to go in and out.
We hang n fur curtain up at the open-
ing. We make our fire in the center of
the snow-housc. The fires are made of
lean meat, oil and bones for we have
no wood in my country-not as much
as one match. Fires are started with
flint, but tlints are very scarce and the
man who owns one is cons dered well
oil. The smoke from the fire is kent in
the house, and as we use oil on our
faces, the smoke and oil make us of n
dark color. We never wash. for there
is no water and IL would freeze on our
faces A lady in my country uses plenty
OF oil, just as ladies here think they look
nice with powder and paint. The
ladies of my country have an easy time.
no work but the making OF the clothes
and the care of her children; only. if
baby cries she will not take care OF IT,
She throws il into the corner of the
snow house. and when II Is quiet she
takes and pets IT, will explain for
you how we marry i'm my country. The
man must steal his wife. III he is
caught trying TO get her he is killed.
for II he Is not sharp enough TO steal
her they think he is not sharp enough 10
take care of her. After he has married
her he can never leave her. III he does.
he is killed. We have no religion i'm
my country, but we think a good man
will go To good place, a bad man TO a
bad place. We ere kind to each other.
only we are not kind TO the sick. for we
think IL they were any account they
would not be sick We have but
one sickness Sometimes IL lasts for
two years, sometimes six years.
think II is what You call consumption
When man dies we stick him away
in the snow and his spear with him.
~ will explain for you how we hunt
in my country. The men kill whales
walruses, bears and seals The first
man who sticks his spear into the ami
NAL gets the skin, aud the meat T.
divided with the other, The meat j.
eaten raw. The peopl- like best the
blood and fat. The skins are used for
clothes, which are sewed up with am
animals sinews. Our slcds are made
OF skins and bones, and are drawn by
dogs. When the dogs are well trained
they are driven without rcns
THE beds of my country arc made
of the furs; whole family sleep i'm one
bed. If a man lives alone he makes
the furs into n sack and crawls into il
when he wants 70 sleep. We sleep
when we are sleepy, and eat when we
are hungry. Our nighttime lasts for
six months, but we always have light
enough from the snow and stars. Our
daytime we do not like-the sunlight
and snow make our eyes burn like they
would drop out Of our heads. The
two months twilight is the most pleas
ant time.
MY people grow no taller than
child Of eight IN this country, and they
never live 20 be over sixty year, OF
age. This climate concluded Miss
Krarer, "weakens me. II Is very
warm. And indeed the little ladv
wore her sleeves short, exposing her
arms. Short arms they were. and pc.
culiarly shaped The arms of the is
quimau men are straighter, from being
used more. Miss Krarer's height is for.
ty inches, her weight one hundred and
twenty pounds.
"What did YOU think Of the people
of this country when YOU first saw
them" was asked Miss Krarcr.
"Oh, she replied they looked 80
big they almost scared me TO death;
and / was much frightened when
first saw a black woman. I thought
she was very dirty.
Miss Krarer has sent for her sisters
who are in Iceland 20 Join her - Curiu-
mn L9ngfrFrss