The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1885-04-09
EskimOs OF Cumberland Sound.

When our ship, the German schooner
Germania, was about to enter the port OF
KikkcIton in the summer of 1888, there
came boat=load of Eskimos to offer us
their help. | had not formed good
opinion of the appearance of these people,
but l was really astonished at the figures
1 saw The little bandy-legged fellows
who ran laughing and chewing over the
deck of the vessel, with their long black
hair, flat faces, and dripping eyes, made
an extremely repulsive impression: and
when we were visited by boat-load of
women, among whom were few anti
quated matrons, my aversion toward my
future fellow residents reached its high
est point. 1t really seemed as if the
ugliest of the ugly had been selected to
receive us, for was afterward surprised
by many cheerful and pleasant face, or
strong, well-built figure. These first
Eskimos appeared at least relatively neat,
for they had probably held a grand feast of
publication before the arrival of the ship.
l had an opportunity to observe what a
good influence intercourse with the
whites had had upon the natives, when
1 came into a settlement on Davis
Strait, which had never been yisi-
ted by European. I would
not undertake to describe the appearance
it presented, SO odious was it. When I
related to the Eskimo; of Cumberland
sound the unhappy experiences l had
suffered in the oily and filthy huts of this
tribe, they answered. eve are like the
clearly gulls, which have, indeed, to
look to the oil and fat of seals and wal
ruses for their food, but still keep their
feathers tidy; but they are like the Mol
limoke, which wallow in blood and fat.
and do not mind any kind of dirt"
The fur dresses of our Eskimos appear
to be well made, and adorned with trim
mings of different kinds of skins. Par
, ticular attention seemed to have been
given to the reindeer skin jackets Of the
women, with their long tails reaching to
the ground, and to the wide hoods in
which the children are carried. The
short brooches reaching to the knee, of
white seal pups skin, were very hand
| some. Afterward, when l became better
acquainted with my new friends, l per
ceived what a disadvantage an indolent
woman could be, even in this country
| when she cannot or will not keep up
with her household duties. The
! clothes of the family toe
often bear witness to her neg
lect, and l have sometimes pitied the
poor men who have to 60 to their seal.
hunting in cold winter weather, without
enough clothing. Among the first women
who visited us were some unusually
adorned with cotton garment, which
was occasionally exposed under their fun
jackets. The men also appeared to be
we'll clothed in seal-skin jackets, small
hoods. and breeches ornamcnlcd with
variously colored furs. Their long hair
loosely tluttering about their heads, gave
them wild appearance; but their quiet
eyes, and the childish pleasure they ex
hibited on every opportunity, contra
dicted this. They all greatly en;oved
the much desired tobacco, for the pro
vision at the station had given out some
time before, and they had been obliged
willing or unwilling, to practice a6sti
nence, and not to smoke. When the,
had got entirely out, they had broken III
their clay pipes and chewed the pieces
for the sake of the taste of the little to
bacco that had bee. absorbed in them
Popular Science Mpnthly.