Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1893-02-01
THE DANISH GREENLANDER AT
HOME.
o. GORDON sIIYrHIKs.

the general world. Now ana tnen,
when some Arctic expedition is fitted
out, and ships Treighted with hope set
sail, seek the Northwest Passage,
ouly TO return With the old story of de-
spair and disappointment, now and then
our eyes turn with a spasmodlc inter
est to that ice-bOund coast, and We
listen with an ephemeral interst to talk
concerning the desolate land and Its
isolated inhabitants. The Danish EI-
hlbition, too, with lis realistic triumph
of the scenic painters and the tax
idermist's art, brought vividly before
the mind q picture of that group OF
dweiIers in Greenland who have now
for more than q hundred and fifty
years been under the protection Of the
kings of Denu ark.
l have thought, therefore, that to
many q short eccOunt of the inner life
OF this unique race. this strange mem-
Der of the great human family, might
prove interesting, and also give a more
correct notion OF what kind OF people
the EsquimguZ are.
Indeed, until some thirteen years
ago, when DR.. Kinks books appeared,
the Greeulander was looked upon as a
savage of the lowest type, a cannibal, Il
being far below the seal or walrus
which it is his only ambition to kill
and eat-uncooked
Rough and unkempt they are, as
well BELTS those whose life Is one long
lnttle with the elements, whose dali y
food depends upon their skill in track
ing down tie seal and reindeer amid
binding snow and seventy degrees of
frost, OF hnrPOoning whales upon tenn
pestuous seas, tossed IN their frail
canoes. But Under this rough exterior
there lies hidden much that is noble
and good. Mr.. Hall, who spent a long
time with them, thus writes in his
Arctic Researches" Speaking of the
EsquimRuX character, he says: "'Ihey
are hOspitaJie, honest, and good.
natured. As for eating a man up, they
would sooner let hungry man elt
them out of house and home, without
saying a word, except: Welcome,
stranger; as long as have, you shall
share with me.
Mr.. Hall travelled through the length
and breadth of Greenland, living part of
the time the life Of an lnnuit, i.e. Es-
quimaux, hunting and fishing with
them, eating their "raw seal-steaks"
and blubber, and finding shot seal
blood soup" delicious" and, like
Oliver Twist, asked for mOrei Sitting
in their IRlOOs (huts), in which, as q
stranger they instinctIvely gave him
the place of honor on pile of skins,
and close to the Indispensable lamp,
which serves for light and warmth,
and which consists Of Urge stone re
ceptacle iilled with oil, over which they
boil their coffee and their soup
The name FsquImauN is derived from
Ush.EG, "raw," and uJl-JgNu, che eats, -
so we get lIsK-kC-UJI-1 1OuLt, ''raw he eats, s"
and a noun derived from this verb
as a national demonstration must be
some such iorm as aish-EC-UDl-OOq,
''raw flesh eaters" the double being
pronounced like oH in boat. All that
remains Is the consideration that the
French traders, of course, used the
French orthography.
The modern Danish Settlements owe
their existence to Hans Egede, the
missionary, who landed in Greenland
with his wife and children in I721.
His object was two-foli: to induce the
natives to trade with Denmark, and to
place the cross of Christ upon those
desolate shoresi Through ten weary
years he persevered, surmountiHg gi-
king, who touched by the devotion of
gantic difficulties. Trading was es-
tsbhshed, but did not flourish. Con-
verts were made, but the good work
from many causes progressed but
slowly, till one day Hans Egede re-.
ceived an order from the King. Christ
ian VI, to the effect that tho Danish
Government was about to withdraw its
r. L. 4 -
for trade as well as that for missions.
Turning their backs IpOn the dreary
ice-bound coast, most of the Europeans
set sail for home, but Hans Egede had
put his hand to the plough and would
not look back. Surrounded by a hand
ful of faithful followers, like some
lone beacon on that Arctic strand,
the indomitable missionary stood,
determined that the light of
the lamp which he had kindled SHOULD
not flicker nor go out. He wrote a
letter of passionate entreaty to the
the old priest, sent answer back that
Denmark would still continue to sap
port the mission, and to develop trade
in Greenland. And to this day Den
mark fultls the promise.
The benefits to Greenland of the
tender rule of Denmark has been
great. With fostering care has the
Greenlander been looked after. All
that would increase his prosperity
and diminish his prIvations and newt
able hardships has been done. A mar
ket has been provided for the spoils OF
these cunning hunters; weapons of
scientific make placed in their hands,
instead of the rude spears and har-
poOns that Trey we're forced formerly
to be content with; schools built to
which their children go, DR.. Rink tells
Us, as ga diversion" and not as O duty;
churches founded which the parents
attend with scrupulous regularity
The sale OF intoxiCants is restricted
by the Danish officials. Spirits being
given out IN small quantities to labar-
ers, or for special services rendered.
The most popular articles purchased
by the ish-Greeulanders are coffee
and tobacco. A cup of coffee and a
Guild of tobacco serve in many cases as
the last resource to raise the dropping
spirits of the weary, half frozen SEQ
hunter. The pipes are very short, fos
the cold is so intense that otherwise
the stems would be INSTRUCTED by
frost
The yearly income OF each family
averages eight pounds a ysar. and the
worldly possessions of a rich Green.
lander are thus summed up by DIR.
Kirk:
"A house, with sIoping roof of
bos -ds, in which he lives with his wife,
a son Of sixteen, and three younger
children, a married brother and sister,
a wicow of n deceased brother with
her five children, fifteen persons IN
all. The interior of the "house" is
two hundred square feet, or some ten
feet broad by twenty long. He has n
bost, a stove, copper kettle, some iron
pots, twelve stone vessels, and four
skins for sledge covers. lie has his
kayak (canoel with clothing and
tools pertaining, the bladder and line
in duplicate, one rifle, chest of tools
contsinIng axe, saw, files, and plane;
of clothes he has a reIndeer-s skin jack
ct, another of bird-skin with two
stuff coverings and three to four suits
of the other articles of dress The son
has his kayak (canoel, SO has his
brother, and n rifle, but no utensils of