Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1892-05-11
ESRIMOS-ANC AND MOD
ERN.
BARON A. E. NoRDENsKIolr,
4ranslatedJro,n the Frenee Dv Mary trOude

The Esk1mos occupy an enormous
area, extending from the west cost of
Greenland to Behring Strait, and
covering the whole of polar America.
The name Eskimo, said to be derived
from "Ekimantsik, which in the Indian
"Abenaquiques" means .seaters of raw
meat" was given them by Europeans.
They call themselves Innnits, or
Karalit 1t is a curious fact that over
the whole of this vast tract, all Eskimos
speak the same language. with no
variations of idiom, and that the
vocabulary published by Frobisher in
1876 strongly resembles that of to-day.
Their manners and customs are as
uniform as their language except in
regions where there Is much inter-
course with Europeans. The Icelandic
annals tell how in 1879 they alta acked
the Scandinavian ColonIsts, killing elgh-
teen in battle and takirg their children
for slaves. Froblsher too speaks of their
courage and contempt of death. But,
though once l,rave and war-like race,
their ardor has cooled down under
the mild rule of the Danish Guild of
Commerce, and they are emlnently
fourteenth century they were capable
r L
shown by the story of .sBjorn Einarson
and the two native women whose lives
he saved. Blorn was traveller
wrecked upon the Greenland coast, on
whom the Scandiuavians had conferred
the sovereignty of Eriksfjord. One
day he rescued two native women who
had been overtaken by the rising tide.
Not only did these sisters swear the
most entire devotion to him, but from
that moment the natives, who were
skilful hunters, supplied him with all
the game he needed. One of them
thought it high honor to take care of
Bjorn's little child, and at last, when
they failed to get leave to follow him to
Iceland, both sisters flung themselves
into the sea from the top of rock
Soon after the discovery of America
by Columbus, expeditions were sent
from England to find the north west
passage to the Indies, and ships started
from Denmark to look for traces OF the
ancient Scandinavian Colonies in Green
land. Many of these search parties
came across the Eskimos, and the in
tercourse was anything but friendly.
Their meetings always ended in the
murder or capture of the poor natives,
who were carried away to be shown as
curious animals in Europe. La
Peyere's Report of GrePidna, written
in 1647, describes "these savages" as
''sullen and untamable by presents or
kindness" as ''fat, sleek, and yellow
skinned" The report describes their
dresses of seal-skln sewed with gut,
their fish-skin shorts, their boats
covered with leather, their paddles,
spears, bows and arrows; and the large
dogs that they use instead of horses.
1t says that the women wear no petit
coats, but leggings, with lig pockets,
and that they paint their faces blue and
yellow; adding that 'they are sinking,
dirty, and ugly. Their tongue serves
them for napkin and handkerchief.
Where other men are ashamed, they
tell of the nine Eskimos who ad been
brought to Denmark by different Polar
expeditions. The natives were lodged
and cared for at the Kings expense.
heir food consisted of milk, butter
cheese, raw meat and raw fish, ''be-
cause they could not bring themselves
to like bread, nor roasted meat, nor
wine either; but preferred long
draughts of oil or whale fat" Poor
Eskimos They often looked north
wards, and once tried to escape in tier
skifis; but storm cast them ashore,
and some peast nts caught EN- and
took them back to Copenhagen. After
this attempt they were guarded with
more care than ever, but they Tlned
and dit d. Five lived to be seen by a
Spanish Ambassador who visited Copen-
hagen. The Don was amazed at the
skill the sava les displayed in managing
their frail canoes. The King of Den
mark got up regatta In his honor, at
which long boat with sixteen oars
proved hardly match for their
kayaks. The ambassador sent each
Eskimo present OF money, and each
sent it in purchasing Danish dress
Two or three even put plumes in their
hats, went booted and spurred, and sent
to tell the King that they wished to be
troopers. But this light moo did
not continue; and they soon relnpsed
into their usual melancholy. Two of
then again tried to escape in their
kayaks; one was caught, the other who
got away was drowned at sea. The
remaining three we're kept more
closely than ever, and survived their
comrades ten or twelve years. They
we're kindly treated, but could never
learn Danish, nor forget their own
land. The last of them died of grie
after the failure of his third attempt to
return to Greenland in his kayak.
He was thirty or forty miles out to sea
before he was overtaken.
Hans Egede, the Danish missionary,
settled in Greenland early in the eigh-
teenth century. 1t is to his "Reiatlon,
TO the reports of the Guild OF Com
mcrce, and to such Arctic travellers as
Dclager. CrsnZ, and Parry that We are
most indebted for our knowledge OF
the Eskimos. Owing to the intercourse
beiw. en- the Danish colonists and ma
tive women the pure-bred Esklmos
have grown rare in the vicinity OF the
settlements On the eat coast we can
also trace the influence of the ancient
Morse population, in the Scandinavian
features of the natives. Thus the only
quite pure Eskimo type is to be found
on the west coast. Here we have q
short, thIck-set race, well-proportioned
but with very small hands and feet.
The complexion is olive, the eyes small
and rather oblique, the nose fiat, and
the rlouth wide, with beautiful teeth.
The mir is black and stiff. In the
Danish half-breeds, the mixture of na-
tive and scandinavian blood sometimes
prOduces a southern type which Is
really handsome. Eskimos prefer to
marry these half European women,
who they think better looking than
The pure bred natives. The children
of mixed parentage retain the foreign
features, but unless forced to learn
European language and adopt our
rsa8es they will lapse in a generation or
two into Eskimo manners and GUS
toms.
Before European manufactures
found their way to Greenland, the Es-
kimos wore nothing but furs, and even
now shirts arc luxury enjoyed only
by the rich. Seal and dog-skins are
rhihy used on the east coast, bear and
reindeer on tho west Me. and women