Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1888-12-28
FROM THE FAR NORTH.
Miss OLAF krarer, a Native of Green
land, Talks on the Customs Of
Her People.
She Lived Fifteen Years Without
Washing Herself and Ate SOAP
Upon First Seeing 1t.

Miss Olaf hrarer, g nstive E.quiusu
woman, lectured in the Eleventh Bap,st
church recently, says the Philadeiphis
Press, on Greenland and the dwarf-llke
people of the frozen north.
Inc lecturer was escorted to the Mat.
form by the pastor, the Rev. l. Newton
hltner. As they entered the room & buzz
| of surprise swept over the audience.
Preacher Ritner is not Il tall mar, but
beside him the Esquimau woman was a
plgmy. She was assis ed TO the platform
and the assistance wss necessary, for she
climbed the steps with difficulty ard with
the toddlIug steps of baby. Backed IN
against a carved rulpi5 char, that tower
ed mountaln-like above her, she stood
with crossed hands, while the choir sang.
Forty inches Is her exact keight. Oa
the platform she looked slightly taller.
III needed no camera to Photograph her
features on the minds OF the audience
race oark, but not swarthy, crowned
wlte colfure of light, almost golden,
halr, parted ON the forehead, without
bangs" and brushed back with a neat
ness bordering upon severity; eyes large,
but strangely quiet; chubby hands, with
arms unnatuta!ly short and curved: a
figure plump, almost to embonpolut
close hitting, and dropeed In fashions
latest mode. A possible fCuCpess for
IeEeiry was sugge I'd by bracy e S and
heevy gold ring aud heavy gold watch
guard ornamented With jewelry peLdants.
Memury made her eloquent. SIxNears
ago she knew nothing of the E0g.ish
language, ye', odd though they were, her
sentences were distinctly inteliigible In
speaking she made no use of the soft "h"
or the sound OF 1t i'll words ending in
slon.' The M was entirely omitted
and =" or &c" substituted. This made a
dialect entirely new aud strange. Fish"
was ''hss, kitchen" was called "kltsin,"
she" was abbreviated in"o "se,' ocean"
became "osan," anu sip did duty for
ship Occasionally duriug her lecture
she vigorously used a pa!m-leaf fan.
81 was born in Greenland" was the
sim pie sentence with which she began her
lecture. Then she told how, after living
In the terrible cod Of that dark land un-
til she was 10 years old, she crossed the
frozen sea on sled drawn by dogs to
lcelau6. There she learned TO speak the
loel4ndlc language, toague very dissim-
liar to her own, and received the rudi-
ments of an education at a mission
school. In her old land there were nelth-
er preachers, doctors, lawyers, nor rulers
of eny kind. In Iceland she found all
these. At home people nevet washed
themselves, and In Iceland she was hand
ed piece of soap. She did not know
the use of it and put it IN her mouth. At
the age Of 20 she went from Iceland TO
Manitoba, In British America, and sever
Al years ago removed to Wisconsin
There she was compelled 10 live in a
room IN which ice was kept until she be
came ecclimat ted.
"ln my country" she continued, "they
pay no attention to the sick, They say
spirits have them and they hate them.
All they will DC is to throw them & piece
of bluober as they would to a dog. If the
people get well they are smart; if they
die they are no good, and they ire Just
thrown into a hole in the snow. Their
fIrs and spears are thrown iu with them,
and no matter how much they are needed
the people never go back to get them.
for IN my country when men ana women
are dead We don't want any more to do
with them"
RHer arms were bowed, she explained,
because in her country children were
compelled to fold them always. The
Greenlander's only food was meat, b!ub-
Der, oil, and blood. 1t was never cooked,
and even the baby's only luxury was Il
bone warm I'D over blubber fire. There
was no wood, not even match Pire was
vas lighted with flint, and man who
owndd flint was considered wealthy. A
man 4 feet high was tall. When a wife
was wanted the girl was stolen. If caught
the would-be bridegroom Is killed by her
parents. If he succeeded in getting her
to his own hut he was 'sgart aud respect
ed by his wife's parents. That was all
there was Itarroagem but man must
live with his wifefor life. If he deserted
her he wOulG be pat to death