The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-03-15
Eskimo Baby-Life.
St. Nicholas.

When baby Eskimos mother makes the
hood for her reindeer suit, she stretches it into a
long sack or bag, that hangs down behind and is
supported by her shoulders, and this bag of rein
deers skin is his cradle and home, where he lives
until he knows how to walk, when he gets his
own first suit of clothing.
This. however is while the baby Eskimo is
out-of-doors or his mother is making social
visit. When at his own home, in order rot to
trouble his mother while she is sewing or cook
ing or doing such other work, the little baby is
allowed to roll around almost without clothing
among the reindeer skins that make the bed,
where it amuses itself with anything it can lay
its hands on, from Ratchet to a snow stick.
You doubtless think little Boreas should have
nice time rolling around to his hearts content
on the soft, warm reindeer skins But when I
tell you more about his little home, you may not
then think SO. For his winter home is built Of
snow.
''But won't the snow melt and the house tunn-
BILE ing' you will ask. OF course it will if you
get it warmer than just the GOODNESS at which
water freezes. But during a greater part Of the
year 1t IS SO cold that the snow will not melt.
even when the Eskimo burn fires in their stone
lamps inside these snow houses. SO, by closely
regulating the amount of fire. they can just keep
the snow from melting. In short, it must always
be cold enough in their lone to freeze.
So you can see that the little Eskimo cannot
have such a very nice time, and you can't see
how IN the world he can be almost naked nearly
all day long when it is so cold But such is the
fact
Yet, in spite Of all this, the little fellow really
enjoys himself He gets used to the cold, and
has great fun frolicking around on the reindeer
skins and playing with his toys; and when Z
have told you some other stories about the cold
these little folks endure, you can under
stand how they can enjoy themselves in the
snow huts, or igoos as they call them, when it
is only little colder than freezing
AT times the fire will get too warm in the
snow house, and then the ceiling will commence
melting-for you all perhaps have learned at
school that when a room becomes warmed it is
warmer at the ceiling and cooler near the floor.
So with the hut Of snow; it commences melting
at the top because it is warmer there--and when
two or three drops of cold water have fallen on
the baby's shoulders, his father or mother finds
that it is getting too warm, and cuts down the
fire.
When the water commences dropping, the
mother will often take a snow-ba from the
floor, where it is colder than freezing, and stick
it against the point where the water is dripping.
There it freezes fast and soaks mp the water just
like sponge until it becomes full, and then she
removes IL and puts on another as soon as it
commences TO drip again. Sometimes she will
forget to remove it, and when it gets soaked and
heavy with water and warm enough to lose its
freezing hold, down it comes! perhaps right on
the baby's bare back, where it fattens out like
slushy pancake-or into his face, as it once
served me-