Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1893-07-21
WORK or ARCTIC WOMEN
ESKIMO FEMALES DO NOT SEEM
TO LEAD AN EASY LIFE.

While MUCH has been written about
Eskimo men-their skill MS hunters, fisher
men and in the management of a kyack-
little has been said about the duties and
3 the labor Of The women in those lands.
- great dead OF their time is occupied in
sewing and in singing, but the Eskimo
wife sings while she sews, and therefore no
time is lost A3SE
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, he
cause the baby wears no clothes and it 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 ali extended
hunting excursions. Her services are
needed In Repairing clothing In cooking
when there is time for such luxurious
tare-and to carry share of the load in.
summer. when everything that 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 "
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 souts,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 nssiie fer 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, IL need be, over the
top, with broad wooden shovel called
poalderit. As soon AZ the hut is finished
the women take in the skins and other
household effects, which are very few in
number, and simple, having irst 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
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 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
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 snow hut with feet almost
frozen with the cold My hands would be
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. s
The women are no drawback to a 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
r n,o
any professional juggler ever saw-three,
four or six stones. with one hand or both
hands. They make all sorts of figures
with a string-reindeer, bears, geese, musk
oxen, dogs and the like-and there is one
thing they can do to perfecton-a woman
will change her coat right in front of your
eyes, and there will not be the slightest
suggestion of indelicacy in the act
1t must be remem bered that a snow
house consists of but one room ouly, 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 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 % iutt u WHY L presume, Uney
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 flash of the discarded garment fly
ing through the air.
The women are boot and shoemakers, as
well as tailors and mantaumakers. Boots
are made of sealskin throughout, or else
the legs of sealskin and the soles of walrus
OF ook jock skin. Before being made up
the skins have to be tanned, the hair
scraped off, and then chewed to make them
soft and pliable. The chewing can be done
while they are walking around, and do,~
| not confne them to 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 TO the gums
But they are very strong, nevertheless
and when any of these people have to take
long pull and a strong pull they use their
teeth.-W II Glider in Ladies' Home
! Journal
An Enthusiastic Teacher.
| Miss Sophie B. Wright, of New Orleans,