The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1885-08-27
LAND OF THE ESQUIMAUX.
Some Traits OF the People in
the Arctic Regions.
A Savage Race who Can Draw Maps and
Have Tremendous Appetites

A Savage Race who Can Draw Maps and
Have Tremendous Appetites
Writing about the Esquimaux in
the New York Times Lieut.. Schwatka
says: "They are rude Typographical
engineers as well 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 trait being
very conspicuous in them. 1t 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. l 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 1 was trying to make
out. These propenslties 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. Moth
ing so pleased the little ones of the
Innuits as a 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 i'm.
portant records only escaped a 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 its
prime is in the darkest -colored ami
mails 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 savages
they consider it degrading, in so many
things do they assist their women
with their work. AS 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 In
NUTS have not their footgear in tht
very best condition, and somebody al
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 thu
ookjooh (great seal) that are intended
for the soles and footcovering of thu
sealskin boots, this process rendering
them more nearly waterproof, ant
they may be seen thus engaged il
almost every tent or snowhouse. j,
the time they are old crones and to-
weak from age to chew on the sole
leather any longer. their teeth ar
worn down almost to their gums will
the constant attrition. They will
often do this labor as pastime Will
employed at some other work whicl
only requires about half the attention
and the use of one hand, as cooking
leaving the other hand free to roll tn
great bOlus of seal leather around il
the mouth, that keeps opening an,
shutting all day with the regularity o
windmill pump, and with just sucl
spasmodic variations, according to tn
intensity of the mental wind.
1t would hardly do for one to imag
fne that an Esquimau could tire hi
jaws with wagging them. so constant
ly do some of them keep them goin
in eating their almost continual luncl
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 roy;
navy, while wintering among then
devoured in one day over 10 pound
OF solid food and drank of tea, coffe
and water over gallon and hal
A man of the same tribe, one {
those not far from North Hudson Ba,
where. wintered,) ate 10 pounds {
solid material, which included coup
of candles, and drank of various Ii,
uids gallon and half, and thes
people were only about 4 to a feet
height. l might give some instance
in my own party, but being pract
cal convert to the theory of the nece
sity of considerable food in that cl
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