The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1891-11-13
HARD WORK OF ARCTIC WOMEN.
They Even Chow Their Husbands' Boots to
Make Them Soft.

ESqulmau men-thelr 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 occupied
in sewing and in singing, but the Esqui-
mau wife sings while she sews, and
therefore no time is lost.
She does not have to make bread, be-
cause there is no flour in that land;
neither does She have to wash and dress
the baby, because the baby wears no
clothes and 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 Esquimau wife accompanies her
husband on all journeys and on all ex-
tended hunting excursions. Her serv-
ices are needed in repairing clothing, in
cooliing-when there is time for such
luxurious fare-and to carry share of
the load in summer, when everything
that can BOT be packed on the back 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
woman must not. When the dogs give
ont and the sled moves slowly the wo-
men are the first to don the harness and
help pull the load
When Il 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 d
broad, wooden shovel, called Il poalde-
rit, As soon as the hut is finished the
women take all 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, mclts snow or ice to
make water for drinking or to cook
with, erects a 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 platform of snow that
occupies nearly the whole interior, and
just in front of the lamp, so that she
can give it constant and careful atten-
ton.
The man does the hunting and much
al, Al.
does a great deal of the other hard
work; but, after the hut is built the
dogs embarrassed and fed, and every
thing made secure for the night, he can
turn in and sleep. Not SO with the wife.
She has to dry the fur clothing he has
just taken off, by placing it on the dry
ing 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 hus-
band has to get up, and do it then.
The women are very llind-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. MY
hands would be so cold and stiff that I
could not unite and remove my shoes
and stockings Some old woman, with
heart as big as her body, would notice
my condition and Immediately 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. l have fire.
quently seen what seemed to me like
imposition practiccd upon them, but
they never complained.
The women are no drawback to a
travelling party. The men do not have
to wait for them They are not very
graceful walkers, and could not win a
crumb at cake walk but they can
keep up with the procession, even if
their hips do appear to come unhingcd
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 both hands. They make all
sorts of figures witt. Il string
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 sugges-
ton of indelicacy in the act.
1t must be remem bered that a snow
house consists of but one room only,
and most of that one is taken up by the
bed, which is also of snow.
1t is not often that woman has oc-
casion to change her coat--once or
twice year, perhaps-but if she does
she can not go into the privacy of her
bedroom, for her bedroom is the
common bedroom of the entire house,
hold, and there is no such thing as
privacy. So that Is why, persume,
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 moment,
then little wriggle and the flash of the
discarded garment flying through the
air