The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1885-10-02
HONEST ESQUIMAUX.
THlEWNG AMONG THEM ALMOST
WHOLLY UNKNOWN.
Absence OF "HoEgishness slow Wages
but no stealing-A Communistic
Method Of borrowing Articles
In Case OF Necessity.


tIieut. schwatka In New York Timesl
After all, the Esquimaux do not seem to
have very good idea Of comparative value
in their exchanges, the present necessity for
an article governing them far more than
HaZ s 0shst sI sqnsttaAsIgstiqa ttaAsIgs GpRraflsso.s is
needed at once fox-skin or . blade Of
whalebone will be willingly exchanged for
1t, IL they have IL, the value Of the skin or
blade being enough In civilization to supply
the tribe with these articles for an indefinite
period. For q summers work on . whaler
about two months-they generally receive
cheap breech-loading gun, bought in the
United States for from 81 to %. and 80 or
81 worth Of ammunition. Things on which
they have worked patiently for months they
will trade away for some civilized trinket
that could not have occupied more than
few minute, in It's manufacture. Nor are
they much more considerats in their ex-
changes Of commodities with each other,
and the most incongruous payments are
often made by them
Insver saw any display Of that charac-
teristic among Indians. and generally
known by the esthetic title OF @hoggish-
ness." wherein liberal gift to one for an
article must be added to in purchasing the
same from another. To prevent this suppo-
sititious trait determined at once to fix O
standard Of value in obtaining dogs from
them. large numbers Of which ! needed for
my anticipated slsdge journey, but, as I
had placed the remuneration at good rates.
never had occasion to wrangle over it
with them. In fact, such contentious are
wholly unknown among these Esquimaux
In dealing with strangers or with each
other. Even when several whalers are win
tsring in their vicinity, and one Is unusually
stin ~ in payments aud Others conspicu-
ously generous, the former In not "boy-
cot.ed" altogether In the amount Of meat,
furs. clothing, and other material they have
for them all
Thieviug among these bands is almost
wholly unknown, and this has long been
their character. A British exploring exps-
dition that wintered among them over .
half century ago, speaks Of this virtue
among them. A small party OF Esqui-
maux had built their igloos, or snow-houss,
near the ships Of this expedition-that IL
two or three miles distant-and q number
Of the white people visited them. Upon re-
turning to the ships one person noticed that
he had lost glove, and supposed that 1t
might have been purloined by the natives,
until one Of them, who had followed the
party, returned the glove, having walked
the entire distance for that purpose. Two
dogs wers purchased Of them by one ships
crew. They disappeared one night and
suspicion was naturally aroused, but the
next morning the two dogs were found So
cureiy tied, E quimau method, on the deck
Of the other ship After the dogs had
broken loose from one ship and had returned
to their village, their original owner had
brought them back In the night. and by
mistake had returned them to tho wrong
tkaxr ,.sff fb<.p a. li<,.sl
injunction to avoid even the appearance Of
evil in a manner that would not stand with
the conduct Of some civilized persons
When lived among them our party was
never careful to collect tools or other things
left around the house. and do not now re-
call that We ever missed an article. The
party left large amount Of trading ma
terial, amounting in value to probably
81 900 or 81 0G0, In a snow-houss In the vii
lage, and visited the whale ships over 100
miles away, and nothing was touched dur
ing its absence. ] have already noted for
what trifing wages the Esquimaux work
hard all summer, and yet here was enough
to be had by stealing to supply them for q
number Of years. The protection In a snow
house ID about equal to that In tent with
the flaps tied, or q house with an unlocked
door. During most Of our absence no Es-
quimaux lived In the village, but they were
away walrusng in snow houses some two or
three miles distant, and thus no one was left
to guard the house, rendering thieving very
easy. Had any one stolen any thing. and
been detected, there Is no penalty pro vidsd
for the offense or for any other crime COM
mitted.
The only time when the integrity of any
one OF the village natives was questioned
rh~n II ro-A
liable penknife. IL disappeared mysteriously
at the same time with an Innuit who bore
the worst reputation in this particular line
in the tribe, although mono Of them could
furnish bill OF particulars as to any single
definite act Of his in the past We were liv-
ing in the snow-housss at the time, but
when summer came and the igloos had
melted the supposed stolen property was
found on the ground on the sits of our old
snow-hous. and this supposed charge
against the Esquimau was thrown out OF
court They have method among them
selves Of borrowing articles In the most
communistic way without any waste Of
words. Under all circumstances, however,
such articles are sure to be returned to their
original owners
II they are out Of oil for their lamps or
provisions and find cairn (pile Of large
stones containing oil Or meat of any kind
they do not hesitate to break into and take
enough to relieve their immediate necessities
never more-and attach TO stick stuck
up in the snow alongside the despoilsd cairn
payment In full for what has been taken
thersfrom In the way Of snow-knifs. . bag
Of bullets or whatever they may have
handy and know will be useful to the other
party whose meat or oil has bssn taken. II
this owner bslongs to ths same village a.
the trayeleF the former viii Be compensated
when they meet This snow-knifs OF bag Of
bullets, or what not that has been suspended
- collateral from the upright stiok may
dangle thers for . month or two, and all
the Esquimaux within travsling distance
may pass it daily and 1t will never b mo-
Tested until the owner comes along looking
for his oil or meat a.s# -@ e B.
knew an Innuit hunter who visited the
whale ships at Marble island on leaving the
mainland to cross the ice to tho island, and
whore all chances Of seeing game ended,
take his breechloading rife, an insstimable
prize in their eyes, and, planting its butt in
the deep snow leave it standing upright on
the native line Of travel to ths ships saw
itabout two weeks after Il had bssn put thers
on my way TO the ships and again about
four weeks after that whom returning. I
suppose 100 or 800 had passsd IL nins -tsnths
OF whom would have given years labor
for It, but the owner brought IL home at last
when he returned 10 his village have