The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1891-05-29
SPORT OF THE ESKIMO.

stories. sing and Dance
Next 10 gambling the Eskimo men
Ike 70 wreSile. The usual way Of
doing this i q test rather of strength
than skill. The SSrestiers sit down on
the floor. or in any convenient place
side 10y side, and facing in opposite
directions SAY. with their right elbows
touehing Then they lock arms. and
each strives to straightcn ont the
others arms As the match il usually
mad,. barc-arned they not infrequently
peel up he skin IN the struggle. In the
old DAYS ~ hen u stranger arrived AT a
settlement he was invited 10 wrestle IN
some way with 4 villarer. and the
winner was allowed 10 kill the loser if
he chose 10 do So
II less exciting, storytelling u really
almost a. common for an evenings
diversion a. gambling, says writer in
the New York sun. The Eskimo
traditions are told over and over again
Everyone knows them word for word.
and should the relater omit or add a
single syllable he would be corrected
instantly by some one of the audience.
There Is nothing like these recitals in
America, except in the work. - called,
Of certain secret societies. where pre-
ercised. The relater of the story sits at
one side nf the room. and. covering his
head. turns his face toward the wall
away from the audience before he be-
gins There Is no applause during the
recital nor when he i finished. There
are traditions that relate TO the early
Morse settlers Of Greenland, 10 the
orilrip of the seal and other valuable
animals. 10 the red Indians Of North
America. beside many stories Of love
and valor that seem 10 have no great
value 10 ethnologists, though very in
tercstiEe as specimens of what may De
called the literature OF peculiar people.
The native songs can scarcely b- allied
musical. though the Eskimo Voice Is
naturally sweet and fine. The native
tunes are mOnotonous chants. but the
Eskimo readily learns the tunes of the
whites. In an Arsuk village were
two good violins, three or four con
certinaS. and some French harmonicas.
II st Of them ont of order, but tho skill
OF the owners Of those that were in
order was equal to that Of the best mu-
sic.anS "a bc found at rural dances in
Yankee land-
The EsllimOs like the reels better than
any other forms OF dances. and al. old
and young. dance with zest and aban-
don that i inspiriting 10 the spec atar.
Under the Danish Lutheran teaching
this form of amusement has been in no
wise discouraged, but the Muravians
believed dancing a sin and held Mp the
terror~ 81 he'll before the unfortunate
meTTymakers. Some have ..i..vcd the
NOravian story. and to the q, ..r,.-~ing 2
influences by which they are surround
cd add fear Of future torment a. a re-
ward for wishing u Join the sports Of
their hght-hearted ncighbors. Many,
indeed, forsallc the Moravian teachers,
but are then forever haunted by the
fear that the doctrine of vengeful God
may be true after all
Men and boys play bah, ana the two
games most popular. if combined,
would not vary greatly from Yankee
football The ball i made Of stout
seal leather. filed sometimes with sand
and clay and sometimes with moss. It
IS sewed up with seal sinews, and is
sometimes ornamented with tufts or
tasSels and zone made Of strings Of
seal leather with the hair on. The
players divide into two parties always
choose up, as Yankee boys would
say. Then in one game one side tusscs
the bail about, while the other tries 10
capture il; in the other one side tries 70
kick the ball over a wide space 10 goal.
while the other tries To capture and hit
the goal with it instead. Sometimes
they bat IL in the latter game instead Of
kicking il.
Over on the west side Of Baffin's bay
the Esllinos have in winter house B..
every village set aside for fea~tS ard
dances. II i dome-shapcd and about
twenty feet in diameter by fifteen high.
Here the entire populace gathers. The
| married women stand in row next 70
| the wall, the unmarried women stand
next To them, while the men form 4
third ring inside OF the rest. The chill
dren. or all who are under twelve
years. form two groups near the en-
trance Then the feast begins, and
| boiled meat and soup, with raw seal
liver, are passed around as long a. any
| one can eat. This done. a man strips
| to the waist, takes a drum made some
| thing like a tennis bat covered with
raw sealsl1in. and stepping into the cen
ter of the ring begins TO sing, and
| dance, and beat the drum. The words
| of the song are improvised by the sing
| er and are usually satirical. lie praises
first one and then another OF the com
| pany for good qualities that are notice
ably lacking, To the great delight Of all
the rest. though they know that they
viii be scored if they have not already
been. The dancing Is simply .. stamp
| ing of the feet and a swaying-of the
| body-the motion is ridiculous TO any
| one not an Eskimo. The women Join
| in the chorus, but the men listen III