The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-09-26
WORK OF ARCTIC WOMEN
ESKIMO FEMALES DO NOT SEEM
TO LEAD AN EASY LIFE.


spouses' Boots to Make the Hide Soft
and PIiabIe-IndustriOus Wives.
While much has been written about
Eskimo men-their skill as hunters, fisher
men and in the management of a kyack-
little has been said about the duties and
the labor of the women in those lands.
A great deal of their time is occupied in
sewing and in singing, but the Eskimo
wife sings while she sews, and therefore NO
time is lost.
She does not have to make bread, because
there is no -four in that land; neither does
she have to wash and dress the baby, be-
cause the baby wears no clothes and 1t is
never washed. Neither, for that matter
do its parents wash. The baby rests, while
awake, in loose hood, its legs spread
around her waist
The Eskimo wife accompanies her hus-
band on all journeys and on all extended
hunting excursions. Her services are
needed in repairing clothing, in cooking
when there is time for such luxurious
fare-and to carry a share of the load in
summer, when everything that cannot be
packed on the backs of their faithful dogs
UlUSb DS UOIuO On lAC DdCho VI OAIC pCOPlO.
When on a journey in winter the wife
sits in the sled sometimes. but oftener
runs alongside or ahead of the dogs. If
tie sled is heavy the husband, who drives
the team, may sometimes rest his weary
limbs on the sled, but the woman must
not. When the dogs give out and the
sled moves slowly the women are the first
to don the harness and help pull the load.
THE WORK THEY HAVE TO DO.
When a halt is made for the day the men
build the snow hut, but as the building
progresses the women close the interstices
of the snow blocks with soft snow, and in
very cold weather they pile loose snow
against the sides, and, if need be, over the
top, with a broad, wooden shovel, called a
poalderit. As soon as the hut is finished
the women take in the skins and other
household effects, which are very few in
number, and simple, having first beaten
off the snow from the skins with a short
stick called an anowter.
The woman also puts up the big stone
lamp, lights it, melts snow or ice to make
water for drinking or to cook with, erects
q drying frame over the lamp and in many
other ways makes herself generally useful
I2CE pldCO ia bIlC uQ9 ID dO CibucE SuQ VI Uuo
bed, which is only platform of snow that
occupies nearly the whole interior, and
just in front of the-lamp, so that she can
give to it constant and careful attention.
The man does the hunting and much of
the fishing. He drives the dogs and does
great deal of the other hard work; but, aft
er the hut is built, the dogs embarrassed
and fed and everything made secure for the
night he can turn in and sleep Not so
the wife. She has to dry the fur clothing
he has just taken off, by placing it on the
drying frame, where it has to be turned
from time to time, and when dried it has
TO be softened.
This she does by rubbing such articles as
are made of reindeer skin between her
hands, and chewing the boots, which are
made of seal or walrus skin. If any of
these articles require mending she must do
it either before she goes to sleep or waken
early, before her husband has to get up
and do it then.
THEY ARE KIND HEARTED.
The women are very kind hearted crea-
lures, though, and often sacrifice their own
comfort to that of others. Often have
come into a snow hut with feet almost
so cold and stiff that could not unite and
remove my shoes and stockings. Some old
woman, with heart as big as her body,
would notice my condition and immediate
ly come to my relief. She would unite the
strings, pull off my boots and stockings
and put my frozen feet under her fur coat
against her own warm body until the cir
culation was restored. / have frequently
seen what seemed to me like imposition
practiced upon them, but they never COM
planned.
The women are no drawback to travel
ing party. The men do not have to wait
for them. They are not very graceful
walkers and could not win a crumb at a
cake walk, but they can keep up with the
procession, even if their hips do appear TO
come unhinged at every step.
The women and girls can all juggle, by
throwing stones up into the air, as well as
any professional juggler ever saw-three,
four or six stones with one hand or both
hands They make all sorts of figures
with striug-rendeer, bears, geese, musk
oxen. dogs and the like-and there is one
thing they can do to perfection--a woman
will change her coat right in front of your
eyes, and there will not be the slightest
suggestion of indelicacy in thea act.
1t must be remembered that a snow
house consists of but one room only, and
most of that one room is taken up by the
bed, which is also of snow.
HOW SHE CHANGES HER COAT.
1t is not often that a woman has occasion
TO change her coat-once or twice a year
perhaps-but If she does she cannot 90 into
the privacy of her bedroom, for her bed
room Is the common bedroom Of the entire
household, and there is no such thing as
privacy. So that is why, presume. they
have acquired the art of making lightning
changes of costumes in public, so as not TO
shock those who CHANGED to be present.
All one ever sees is the new coat poised in
space for a mo ment, then a little wriggle
and the fash of the discarded garment fly
Ing through the air.
The women are boot and shoemakers, as
well as tallors and mantaumakers. Boots
are made Of sealskin throughout, or else
the legs of sealskin and the soles of walrus
or Cookbook skin. Before being made up
the skins have 70 be tanned, the hair
scraped of, and then chewed TO make them
soft and plisble. The chewing can be done
while they are walking around, and does
not conilne them 70 one place like sewing
does So when an Eskimo woman goes
visiting, instead OF taking knitting with
her she takes her chewing.
A middle aged woman shows the effect
OF this part Of her work plainly, for her
teeth are worn down nearly 70 the gums.
But they are very strong, nevertheless.
and when any of ehese people have to take
a long pull and strong pull they use their
teeth.-W. Il. Glider in Ladies' Home
Journal.
At the Opera.
AFrAft1-