Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1890-01-31
IN THE LAND OF NIGHT.
MISS KRaRER's INTERESTING STORY
OF THE ESKIMO LAND.

MISS KRARER's INTERESTING STORY
OF The ESKIMO LAND.
Where Grease Is the s:aple ~ Life, and
the Natives Eevsr Wasll-The Only Aris-.
tocras is the Man With F1int-TAe
Lazy Life Of the Eskinos.
Miss Olof Krerer lectured en- the Gland Of
the Frozen North.n
In the opening CT her lecture she related
her early life and the origin Of her people;
how thcy have curious habits; never wash
themselves, and bow tie first time she saw
piece OF soap, she put it il her mouth to eat.
She spoke Of the caldnees Of the climate,
and sad that when she first came to this
country sne had to stay in room partly
filled with Ice and snow. In her country
they had no ministers, doctors, lawyers or
newspapers They have 40 schools, and only
know what their parents tel them, Viz: to
be good to their mothers. They have only
one slckness-sorle are sick two years and
some four years, and grow very weak and
finally dfe-ehe thought it must be what the
doctors here call consumption Their dress
and methods were related by the speaker.
They never wash from the day tley are
born to the day they dia They have no
wood, but burn Oil and bore, and the smoke
pours out free inside the SNOW horses
When l was taken from Greenland to Ice
land, said she, was u yearsoid- was dark
as an Indian, and my hair was 50 dark and
sticky with grease and smoke that it would
t<,x H.
ness in Iceland my hair was cut of, and VIXEN
it appeared it was quite Light in color, as you
see A tail man In Greenland is only feet.
1t is because they live as they do on meat snd
Oh or blob" just as it comes from the ami
NAL raw, that they grow SO short and stout.
There is no cooking, except sometimes when
mother with very young baby throws a bit
Of raw meat upon the oil fire, and after is is
warmed through feeds it to the infant that is
too young to eat frozen raw meats.
TIE day time Of six months is the worst
time of the year because of snow blindness,
which is the great trouble with the natives,
causing them intense pain and serious diH
culties with eyes. The night has the north
ern lights for its help, but the twilight is the
best time Of the year. In this time the ice
breaks up with a great noise. At this time
the seals come up to the shore and the people
get seals and walrus for sustenance.
The speaker described the hunts in hides
cribable idiom and with peculiar methods of
narration
In a peculiar way she prefaced each descrip-
ton with the caption of her subject. For in
stance she would begin by saying: THE
whale-The whale is very large animal
Some of him IS 80 feet long. Some is over 100
feet long. He get sometime tangled in the
iceberg. Then the people gadder. Dey be
glad then dat de good spirit have sent them
SO big an animal to kill"
So she described the seal hunt where they
attack the seal with their spears made of the
walrus tusk aud where the first man who puts
his speor into the seal has all the fur and the
others share In the meat. The seal is the
main stay Of the people. The reindeer is
scarce and the people rarely eat 1t. The hide
is used for the dog sleighs and the sinews for
reins for the dog sleighs. The IS are gray
ixh, light, and look like the wolves in this
country, but they are capable creatures and
full of power.
The snow house Is about six feet high and
as big as double bedroom. They are con-
in villages some miles apart and
how far north they go no one knows, for ne
man has ever gone SO far north that he did
not find them. They are built of blocks Of
ice and snow, with ice bloclas for the floors,
and fur carpets The doorway is about high
enough for child years old in this country.
The fire is built in the middle Of ehe hoor of
blubber and fean meat. and the
fire starts by striking flint on tie walrus
bone. The man who o0ps flint is called q rich
man in that country. Poor people have to
borrow nints to light the Gre. All the Aints
that are known are cast up by the icebergs.
Miss Krarer described the home habits Of
the Eskimos and how the children are pun
shed The method is to burn the child to the
bone for any misdemeanor, and she said she
had many sears ON her own person. The child
S made to fold its arms, and the speaker il
nstrated the effect by showing her own arms,
which are sadly ben and undergrovn from
his habit Of childhood.
In the caro- of children the mother believes
hat if her baby is sick the bad spirit is in it.
and she hates it and it dies, and she puts it
away as though it were an animal
The speaker related how she happened to
20 to Iceland. Some Icelanders were ship
wrecked on the coast Of Greenland, and after
'emaining there a year three Greenlanders'
aDihes agreed to guide them over to Iceland,
many miles away. Her family was one, and |
hey reached Iceland safely on the dog slsdges |
lft9r months Of travel
They never went back to Greenland. She !
lerself was educated at the mission school |
II Iceland, and for the first time heard of !
Americas free Land, where al nations are |
welcomed. She had finally come to America,
light years ago, via Manitoba, Quebec and |
and had lived in America eight |
ears. The first of her residence here she
vas i'll all CT the time from the beat, but was
becoming accustomed to It. Sne |
aid that she was as TILL Us the average man
II woman in Greenland, the lceaanders beng
he first tail persons they had ever seen Her
ather was an inch taller than she and
Weighed 100 pounds, Her mother was the
anne height, feet inches, and weighed $50
pounds. She weighed I40 pounds when com-
ng to Iceland, but he'd SINCE Taken away to
% pounds
Women in this country said Miss Krarer,
would enjoy che thing in Greenland. They
would have nothing in the world to de.
Laughter and sppiause-) There Is no WASH
ng or scTubbing or cooking because there Is
10 water and they eat their meat raw They
% not wash or comb their hair. When
pan has done eating he wipes his hands On
is face, and then be feels good
AFTER the women IN my country have put
ots OF grease on their faces and hair they
eel just as good as the me ladies IN tia
oSn.ry do when they have put Oh lots OF
ovtler and paint Gaughter.) When
ably is born instead Of washing j. they grease
sn over, and SO long Is be hives the grease
ever is absent from bis toilet All we have