Morning journal and courier., 1885-03-27

DR.. Franz BoaS in Popular Science Monthly foI
April
When our ship, the German schooner Ger
mania, was about to enter the port of XIX
kerton in the summer of 1888, there came a
boat-load of Eskimos to offer us their help.
I had not formed good opinion of the ap-
pearance of these people, but was really as
tonished at the figures I 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 impress
sion; and when we were visited by a boat
load of women, among whom were few an
tiquated matrons, my aversion toward my
future fellow-rssidents reached it's highest
point. It really seemed as if the ugliest of
the ugly had been selected to receive us, for
] was afterward surprised by many cheer
full and pleasant face, OF a strong, well-bullt
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. I had an opportunity to observe
what good influence intercourse with the
whites had had upon the natives, when
came into a settlement on Davis Strait.
which had never been visited by a European.
I would not undertake to describe the ap-
pearance it presented, odious it.
When 1 related to the Eskimos of Cumber-
land Sound the unhappy experiences I had
suffered in the oily and filthy huts of this
tribe, they answered: sfWe are like the
clearly gulls, which have, indeed, to look to
the oil and fat of seals and walruses for their
food, but still keep their feathers tidy; but
they are like the mollimoke, 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 trimmings of
different kinds of skins. Particular atten-
ton seemed to have been given to the rein
deer-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 breeches reaching to the knee, of
white seal-pups' skin, were very handsome.
Afterward, when became better acquainted
with my new friends, perceived what dis
advantage 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 too often bear witness
to her neglect and have sometimes pitied
the poor men who have to go to their seal
hunting in cold winter weather without
enough clothing. Among the first women
who visited us we're some unusually adorned
with q cotton garment, which was occasion
ally exposed under their fur jackets. The
men also appeared to be we'll clothed in seal
skin Jackets small hoods and brooches orna-
mented with variously colored furs. Their
long hair, loosely futtering about their heads.
gave them wild appearance; but their quiet
eyes and the childish pleasure they exhibited
on every opportunity contradicted this. They
all greatly enjoyed the much desired tobacco,
for the provision at the station had given out
some time before, and they had been obliged,
willing or unwilling, to practice abstinence
and not to smoke When they had got en-
tirely out, they had broken up their clay
pipes and chewed the pieces for the sakeof
the taste of the little tobacco that had been
absorbed in them.