The Jersey City news., 1891-09-21
WORK OF ARCTIC WOMEN.
Their Lives Not Always Play
Chewing Their Husbands
Boots.


While much has been written about
Eskimo men-their skill as hunters,
fishermen and in the management OF
kyack--little has been said about
the duties and the labor of the women
in those lands.
A great deal of their time is occu-
pied 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 flour in that land;
neither does she have to wash and
dress the baby, because the baby
wears no clothes and it is never
washed. Neither, for that matter, do
it's parents wash. The baby rests,
while awake, in a loose hood, its legs
spread around it's mothers waist
The Eskimo wife accompanies her
husband 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 share of the load in summer,
when everything thar cannot be
packed on the backs of their faithful
dogs must be borne on the backs OF
the people.
When on journey in winter the
wife sits in the sled sometimes, but
oftener runs alongside or ahead of the
dogs. If the sled is heavy the husband,
who drives the team, may sometimes
rest his weary limbs on the sled, but
the women must not, When the dogs
rave out and the first sled moves
slowly the women are the first to don
the harness and help pull the load.
When 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 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 Oft 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 drying frame over
| the lamp and in many other ways
makes herself generally useful. Her
place in the hut is at either end of the
| bed, which is only a platform OF
| snow that occupies nearly the whole
| interior, and jusG in front of the
| lamp, so that she can give to it con-
slant and careful attention.
The man does the hunting and
much of the fishing He drives the
dogs and does a great deal of the
other hard work; but. after 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 wal
rus skin. If any of these articles re-
quire 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.
The women are very kind hearted
creatures, though, and often sacrifice
their own comfort to that of others.
| Often have come into a snow hut
with feet almost frozen with the cold.
NV hands would be so cold and stiff
that could not unite and remove my
shoes and stockings. Some old wo-
man, with heart as big as her body,
would notice my condition and imme-
diately 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 circulation was
restored. | have frequently seen
what seemed to me like imposition
practiced upon them, but they never
complained.
The women are no drawback to q
travelling party. The men do not
have to wait for them. They are not
very graceful walkers and could not
win crumb at cake walk, but they
can keep up with the procession, even
if their hips do appear to come un-
hinged at every step.
The women and girls can all iuggle,
by throwing stones up into the air, as
well as any professional juggler ever
saw-three, four or six stones, with
one hand or with both hands. They
make all sorts of figures with string
reindeer, 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 indeii-
cacy in the art.
1t must be remembered that 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.