Wichita eagle., 1888-01-21
EATERS OF WHALE BlUBBER.
Two Queer Little aIen-Ouaint Marriage
aud Religious Customs.


aud Religious Customs.
81 have one wife, my brother has two
and my father has four" said quaint
looking little man with almond eyes and
an X in India ink on each cheek to re-
porter. The speaker was Dom Koch, and
with him was Tommy or Naghsook, both
EsquimauX, who arrived here on the
whaler Reindeer. Their home is among
the Siberian steppes, within the Arctic
circle in G6 1-2 dogs. north latitude and
40 degs. west longitude. Here, born and
bred in snow house, in land where the
sun never sets in summer, they had re-
manned, as had their ancestors for thou
sands of years, and never dreamed OF
another country until, when their little
skin boat was blown far out to sea, they
were taken aboard the Reindeer.
Il expect my wife will be gone when
get back" said the funny little man who
first spoke, and who talked English re-
markably we'll ''Some other man will
probably have her. but then III get me
another one Up there if mans goes fish
ing, come back and find wifes gone, lie
don't worry. He goes and gets some
mOre.n
Tommy listened to this speech rather
demureIy. Tommy is homesick," said
Dom Koch. ale wants to get back again.
lie has two pretty wives and three ugly
ones. / like California very well. It's
nice and warm down here, and when 90
back next year I'm going TO bring my
three sisters and come down here 20 live. 7"
These queer people, said j. G. Greene
who was with them, and who was wrecked
off Behring's straits, Siberia, in 1881 do
not hold the tics Of marriage very sacred.
Another thing, they no net punish for
murder. Murder, however is rare. There
are probably 10000 or ~ 900 Esquimaux
within a radius Of 1900 miles of where /
was wrecked and where Dom ard Tommy
are from. aud these speak twenty five or
thirty different dialects. You may be able
to understand one dialect and be COM
plctely knocked out by another The peo-
pie live il ice houses, 900 or 400 in q vii
lage, back q little way from the water.
They are very superstitious people, too
When the ". r. Marsh went 20 pieces
and we were cast away, we fell ia with
the simple Esquiruux and got a couple
10 guide US To distant st. MichaeI's L.
was the latter part Of August, and we
were beset with such fearful storms that
we could make very little progress. Our
guides thought an evil spirit was among
us, and went 70 work 10 get rid Of IL, One
Of them Lay down On his right side, while
the other fastened q ravhide string round
his neck, with stick attached 20 it 20 i
could he twisted tight. Pulling az this
he would raise and lower h!s head, while
both BOWED out their weird chants 70 the
gods After awhile they changed OF, and
Ehe Esguimau who had been down. arose
and became chief bowler He prayed 10
the gods for less wind. and the two then
INDUCED ia the most hair raising grosrs
aud chatteriDg and grinding Of teeth.
Finally one Of then p.sled q big stone on
bis shoulder. and whirling with il. uttered
the most doIeful sounds Then the other
Indian was thrust I'D there, the vhirling
and moaning and halloo.ng going On IS
] before How either the stone or the fudi-
81 siaii there don. know. for neither
was held. but just seemed 70 lag there. II
was some sort ot lezerdeanair- At lenvth,
completely worn out and exhausted. they
quit, and the wind going down about that
time, they thought they had gaaaie good
Job OF IL, and we thanked them ana naoved
on."-,an Francisco Examiner.