The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1894-01-19
FuRcLAn rsklMos.



These Eskimos were the queorest, dirti
ct looking individuals I had ever seen.
clad entirely in furs, they reminded mo
more of monkeys than Of human beings.
Ikwa. the man, was about feet 2 or 2
inches in height round as dumping, with
= large, smooth. fat face, in which two
little black ewes, nat nose and large ex'
pansive mouth were almost lost His
coarse black hair was allowed 10 straggle In
tauglcs over bis face, ears and neck 10 bis
shoulders, without any attempt az arrange
.ment or order His body was covered with
a garment made OF hindskins, called by
the natives "ahtee,n the feathers worn next
the body. and outside Of this garment
made OF sealsSin with the fur on the out
side called "netcheh."
These garments, patterned exactly alike,
were made to ht to the figure, cut short at
The hips. and coming 20 a point back and
front. close fitting hood was scyvcd 60 the
neck Of each garment and invariably
pulled over his head when he was out of
doors. His legs were covered with sealskin
trousers or ''nanoolics, " reaching just be
low the knees, where they were met by the
tanned sealskin boots called 10y the natives
"hamiks.r We learned later that soalskin
trousers were worn only by those men who
were not fortunate enough or able 60 Kill a
benr. In winter these men wear oogskin
trousers. which are as warm as those made
OF bearskin. but not nearlyso stylish. Win
Ter and summer. the men wear stockings
reaching the knees. made Of the fur of the
arctic hare.
AT first thought the woman's dress was
Identical with that Of the man, and IL puz-
zied me 60 tell one from the other, but in
@ day OF two | made out the many little
differences in the costumes. The woman,
like the man, wore "ahtee' and 'netchoh,
made respectively OF the birdskin and seal
skin. They differed in pattern from those
of the man only in the back, where an ex-
ira width is sowod In, which forms pouch,
extending the entire length of the back of
tho wearer and fitting tight around the
hips In this pouch or hood the baby Is
carried It's little body, covered only by
shirt reaching 10 the waist, made Of the
skin OF a Young blue fox, is placed against
the bare back of the mother, and the head,
covered by = tight fitting skuiloap made OF
sealskin, Is allowed TO rest against the
mothers shoulder.
In this way the Eskimo child is carried
constantly, whether awake or asleep, and
without clothing except the shirt and cap,
until it can walk, which is usually at the
age of years. Then it is clothed IN skins,
exactly like the father il it is boy, or like
the mother if a girl. and allowed to toddle
about. lit is the youngest member of the
family, after it has learned to walk il takes
its place in its mothers hood whenever 10
IS sleepy OF tired, just as American mothers
Iiok up their little toddlers and rock chem.
The wOman's trousers, or ''nanookies, are
made Of foNskin. and are hardly anything
more than trunks" These are met by the
long legged boots, or "kamiks," made of
tanned sealsldn. aud the long stockings, or
"allahsy," of reindeer fur. Altogether this
family appeared fully as strange to US as
we did to them. They had never before
seen woven material and could not seem TO
understand the texture, insisting that it
was the skin Of some animal in America
Mrs. Peary's Journal.