Connecticut western news., 1885-09-02
LAND OF THE ESQUIMAUX.
Some Traits Of the People in
 the Arctic Regions.
A Savage Race who Gan Draw Maps and
 Have Tremendous Appetites

engineers as we'll as sculptors, and are extremely good map makers for such | unkempt savages. Nearly every white man, explorer or otherwise, who has visited their country and associated | with them speaks of this -traik being | very conspicuous in them. It seems especially well developed in the wom- en, although many of the men, from | their greater amount of journeyings over ard around country, are often in position to make more accurate drawings in the details or particular places. I have had several occasions to use them as map makers, and find their rude charts quite accurate, good enough at least to enable me to recog- nize the places I was trying to make out. These propensIties for drawing and carving have often been utilized by ethnologists to show the origin of this great family or race which caps the North American Continent. Noth- ing so pleased the little ones of the Innuits as pencil and clean. piece of paper on which they could draw, and quite often we would find group of these spending hours in producing fearful hieroglyphics, until the sheet looked like a pattern sheet from la dies fashion magazine. The nautical almanacs and books of tables for the party were profusely ornamented with these rude drawings. and the more im- portant records only escaped similar fate by being kept under lock and key when not used by us.
 The ornamental displays in the sew ing of the women are those which are confined to the limited varieties of colors to be found on the seal and reindeer. The fur of the latter in it's prime is in the darkest-colored ami mals quite glossy black on the back. the Hanks and belly being white, and between these extremes every shade of gray can be found. The skin of the former is tanned in two ways. one of which makes it black, the other a dirty white, and their best sewers combine these furs and skins in de- signs often quite intricate, and not without pleasing effect. None of the men or boys knowmuch about sewing, although doubt if like other sayages they consider it degrading, in so many things do they assist their women with their work. As a war party is wholly unknown among them, and these are the only kinds of parties among most savages unaccompanied
 by women, it is seldom that the h.
 nuits have not their footgear in the very best condition, and somebody all ways with them to keep it so should
 it get otherwise.
 One of the duties of the Esquimau
 women is to chew the hides of the
 Ookjook (great seal) that are intended
 for the soles and footcovering of the sealskin boots, this process rendering
 them more nearly waterproof, and
 they may be seen thus engaged in
 almost every tent or snowhouse. By
 the time they are old crones and too weak from age to chew on the sole
 leather any longer, their teeth are i worn down almost to their gums with : the constant attrition. They will ], often do this labor as pastime while ! employed at some other work which [ only requires about half the attention
 and the use of one hand, as cooking ]. leaving the other hand free to roll the
 great bolus of seal leather around ir
 the mouth, that keeps opening and . shutting all day with the regularity oi
 windmill pump, and with just sucE
 spasmodic variations, according to tht intensity of the mental wind.
 It would hardly do for one to imag inc that an Esquimau could tire hi,
 jaws with wagging them, so constant : ly do soma of them keep them goinl
 in eating their almost continual lunch :, , es of raw frozen meat and hot tidbit
 from the stone kettle hanging over th, : stone lamp. As an example of thei : enormous appetite, an Esquimau boy
 supplied by Capt. Perry. of the roys navy, while wintering among them 2 devoured in one day over 10 pounds :, of solid food and drank of tea, coffee = and water over gallon and half
 A man of the same tribe, Gone o those not far from North Hudson Bay
 where l wintered,) ate 10 pounds o 1 solid material, which included coupl V of candles, and drank of various lie " uids' gallon and half, and thes
 people were only about 4 to 4 feet i
 height. I might give some instance T. in my own party, but being practi k cal convert to the theory of the neces le sity of considerable food in that eli y- mate shall desist.
 % The Esquimaux have often been ac BIT cused of eating tainted meat. This T. true to limited extent. The fa
 meats of seal and walrus are store h away in the Summer for future us
 and this fat is true preservativ, a- never allowing the meat to go beyon T, rancidity, that is to putrefaction, an  no more in that state than is cavia
 and some kinds of game and chees = = All the lean meats, such as reindee '. or musk oxen, are generally dispose ' sn as..&.4.. af- a z, .~.n-... cy..~..