The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-01-15
EATERS OF WHALE BLUBBER.
Two Queer Little Men-Qnaint Marriage and
Religious Customs.
San Francisco Examiner.

San Francisco Examiner
II have wife. my brother has two and my
father has four" said a quaintlooklng little man
with almond eyes aud an X in India ink on each
cheek yesterday to Examiner man. The
speaker was Dom Koch, and with him was
Tommy, Naghsook, both Esquimeaux,
who arrived here fortnight ago on the
whaler Reindeer. Their home is among
the Siberian steppes within the arctic circle, IN
664o north latitude and 170o west longitude.
Here, born and bred in a snow house, in land
where the sun never sets in summer. they had
remained, as had their ancestors for thousands
of years, and never dreamed of another country
until, when their little skin boat was blown far
out to sea- they were taken aboard tho Reindeer.
II expect my wife will be gone when get
back" said the funny litsle man who first spoke,
and who talked English remarkably we'll
Some other man will probably have her, but
then I'll get me another one. Up there it mans
go fishing, come back and find wife's gone he
don't worry. He goes and gets some more"
Tommy listened to this speech rather de-
murey Tommy is homesick." said Dom
KOCH HE wants to get back again He has
two pretty wives and three ugly ones. like
California very well. It's nice and warm down
here, and when go back next year I'm going to
bring down my three sisters and como down
here to live"
"These queer people" said J. c. Greene. of
224 Montgomery street who was with them, and
in 1881. do not hold the ties of marriage very
sacred. Another thing, they do not pun
ish for murder. Murder, however is rare.
There probably 10000 or Il. 600 Esqui-
maux within radius of 800 miles of
where | wrecked, and where Dom and
Tommy are from, and these speak twenty
five thirty different dialects. You may be
able to understand one dialect and be complete
ly knocked out by another. The people live in
ice houses, three or four hundred in village,
back little way from the water
They are very supersttious people, too.
When the w. f. Marsh went to pieces and we
were away we foil in with the simple Es-
quimaux. and got couple to guide us to
distant ST. Michaels 1t the latter part
of August, and We were beset with
such awful storms that could make
very little progress. Our guides thought an
evil spirit was among Us, and went to work to
get rid of it. One of them lay down on his right
side, while the other fastened rawhide string
around his neck, with stick attached to it, it
could be twisted tight. Pulling at this
he would raise and lower his head,
while Doth howled out their wierd
chants to the gods. After awhile they
changed off, and the Esquimaux who had been
down arose and became chief bowler. He prayed
to the gods for less wind. and the two of them
INDUCED in the most hair-raising groans, and
chattering. and grinding of teeth. Finally one
of them piled big stone on his shoulder, and
whirline with it, uttered the most doleful
sounds. Then the other Indian was thrust
up there, the whirling and moaning and haloo-
ing going on as before How either the stone
the Indian stayed there l don't know, for
neither was held but just seemed to lie there.
1t was some sort of legerdemain. At length,
completely worn out and exhausted, they quit.
and the wind going down about that time, they
thought they had made good job of it, and we
thanked them and moved on"