The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-06-05
LABRADOR'S QUEER FOLK.
THE WHITE MEN VINO LIVE THERE
OF THEIR OWN CHOICE.


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Vacations THAT They FoIiow-Thcir Homes ana
Their ReliEion-A FnIliHE or In Their CiyNi.
~HatIop-The Eskimos and TheIr Easy-GoInE
Life trance Rites ut One OF Their Funerals.
ST. JoHN's. n. f.. June lit seems strange
that with freedom TO come and go civilized
mon should choose to dwell In a region 80 ter
rlbly bleak and sterile as Labrador. Yet Of the
$500 inhabitants of that great peninsula, 5000
are Of tho white or mixed race. They mainly
are descendants of English sailors, some of
whom were shipwrecked and moro OF whom
probably left their ships without leave. Find.
ing themselves stranded on this lonely shore,
they made the best Of their lot, marrying Es-
klmo wives and living after the manner OF the
country. In later times some Newfoundland
crs chose rather to settle in Labrador than
make the uncomfortable trips to and fro yearly
from st. Johns for the annual codtishing Off
the Labrador shores. These brought their
wives and children with them and introduced
q now strain of civilized life.
All Of these people live in little settlements
strung along the coast, on islands or In tiords,
from Battle Harbor south to the Gulf OF st.
Lawrence. They dwell in houses Of stone or
logs. In winter they wear hooded fur gar
ments like the Eskimos; In summer the ordi-
nary garb of Newfoundland fishermen. The
women dress In gray or blue woollen stuff,
with q gaudy gown for best. On their heads
they wear q knit hood or q bright-colored hand
k~erchief. and, 1t may be, at out-of.door work
or abroad on the water, o mans sou W
Against the walls in their houses are pasted
such pictures as thoy have been able to clip
from the few newspapers that fall In their
way, advertising Autographs that have come
with goods to the trading stores. and pictures
Of the sort issued by tract societies. On the
table or a shelf in the living room is always n
Bible, religiously read on every Sunday when
the cod arc not biting or a fare OF fish TO be
dressed and faxed. 1t is a devout and sober
minded community, that Of the whites along
the coast of Labrador. Their religious minis
trations are provided by the Moravians, who
have several missions in Labrador; their tenn
pcrance is assured by stringent laws forbid
ding the landing Of any liquors in Labrador,
and these are made effective by a thorough pa
troll by the dominion revenue steamships. which
deal inexorably with smugglers of strong water:
In summer the white colonists fish for cod
with travis, nets, traps, and hand lines. Be.
salmon rshing, using nets and spears. They
! dispose Of their surplus fish at the trading
stores. with which they keep a yearly account
when the cod have left the shores for deep
water. ending the fishing for the year and the
WIN came at the beginning OF the season
have departed for home. the resident In Labra'
boughs round the foundation Of his house for
warmth and looks after his supply of rewood.
II living far TO the north, where wood Is scarce
For provisions he has an abundance of sailed
cod and smoked or picked salmon Of his own
ca Aching. II the season has been fairly good
his credit at the trading store will insure him
-four, tea, sugar, and canned or sailed meats.
If he has a plot of ground in q sheltered, sunny
place he may have raised a few bushels OF tur-
nips or watery potatoes to help out his fare,
and II they have not been Kept too busy It the
from the uplands i'll the suminer wild berries
which they preserve in i9rs Of cold water.
Until snow falls he will have traps set for
into the fords. ,Aftsrward he will go on snow
shoes to the uplands to hunt caribou, and to
rap and poison the wolf and Arctic fox for their
fur. Also he will do some seal and walrus
hunting off the shore for the skins and to get
an agreeable addition to his own bill of fare. He
keeps from six to twenty Eskimo dogs and does
all his winter travelling in a komattk, or sled.
drawn by a dog team, usually taking the Ice
along shore for his roadway.
dor is simple of character. ignorant. religious
and superstitious. He Is fortified in prejudices
mems omens and NJ old wives tales. II risors
Of the climate keep him down to the stern noces-
stiles OF providing warmth and food and leave
him little time for anything else. II is u curious
study what the ultimate eject OF such condi-
lions upon Q civilized white people will be.
But already there is found a decrease in stature
and a lesseninE Of mental energy. How far
these things may DO overcome by lima
remains to be seen. The lceianders, as far to
the north, are noted for learning and intel
lectual energy-but then they started as a race
Another sort Of people are the Eskimos. of
whom about ! 700 live along the coast OF Labra-
dor from Cape Chldley to the Straits Of Belle
iglooks, or.huts OF stone. by the waterside, hunt
ing the seal and walrus. They do not go to the
dfnns. their h"roditary enemies. They do no,
fish for cod, but with the coming OF summer set
up their sealskin tents at the mouth Of streams
trout and salmon for fool. This occupation
they vary by killing seal and walrus that come
the shore. The walrus they kii from thoiI
cayaks with the %hGrpoon. to which an inflated
the surface, informs them OF the movements OF
the walrus when he dives below. After they
have killed the wnlrus they observe some queer
ceremonies in respect 10 him..
In towing tho 5ody to the: shore or ice pan
every man In the hunting party must forgive
clare ali GuHrffels With them to be ut an end
else they viii not get the walrus safe from the
or. shore. before cutting, it up they, give It 6
drink Of water. Otherwise. they believe they
would catch no moro walruS. This having beer
done, they divide the meat and take it to theil
iglooks.
The Eskin,os bury their dead under mounds
of stones, on juttinR promontories. A year OF
two ago a yachting party from 81. Johns. which
had landed near Cape Chidley. saw an Eskimo
ground tho komatik, or sled, on which was The
body OF a hunter who had been drowned in the
kun 6rS 2. a a w ~raCHss,o At 9e nb bGSm t fa%S m IN ,rT nni
looking the sea they placed the body in a sitting
position. laid the hUntcr's. paddle, harpnon
throw stick, and snowshoes beside It. and then
with stones az large as could be handled, pro
ceedod TO build n wall about the body. Wher
the wall had been carried above the head they
roofcd It with fiat stones and then built n round
cd mound over the whole. But they loft
hole in the roof SO that the man could com
out at any time II he wished. Then the party
ranged Itself in a somicircle bcf re the MOUND
and one man sang a weird chant with n choru
or refrain in which all the uthers Joined. Thi
done, they went back TO their encampmen
with no further show of grief and resumed
their usual occupations.