The labor world., 1900-02-17

nineteenth century will soon be an
Natural History.
It is nothing less than the discovery,
on a lonely island in Hudson Bay, of
a lost tribe Of Eskmo-a community
which has been without intercourse
with other representatives Of the hui
man species for centuries, and whose
a few months ago.
They are still in the stone age, know
ing no metals; they grow no plants,
and their houses are built of the skulls
Of whales.
The home of this strange tribe, which
unknown manner from the rest Of the
world ever SO long ago, is on South
ampton lsland-a piece of Water-girt
land, nearly as big as the state of
Maine, situated at the north end of
Hudson Bay. Apparently the people
have dWelt there ever since pre- Colun1-
bian times, and today they live and
subsist exactly the same way as they
did then.
Having been isolated for SO long a
period, it is natural that they should
exhibit many peculiarities most inter-
esting to the student of ethnolOgy, and
these are Illustrated by a suberb col
lection Of utensils, weapons Of the
chase, and other objects, which.
through the agency of DR.. Franz Boas,
has been fetched to New York in a,
whaling vessel and deposited in the
Museum of Natural History.
The houses of skulls above men
toned, more properly described as
huts, are built by putting together the
great jaws of whales, which are
covered over with skins
In the middle of this primitive dwell
ing is an elevated places on which
stands the inevitable stone lamp-chief
essential to every Eskimo household
Indeed, the. whole life Of the family
may be. said to revolve about this
lamp, the inmates depending upon it
for, their very existence.
The tribe comprises only 5S indivi-
duals, about equally divided as to
sexes. It's members speak dialect
peculiar to themselves, and quite un-
like that employed by any other Eski-
mo.
A strait about 80 miles broad sep
- 1911 ~ ~ l.'ai'u io'A '1'e
-. 1'"y' "ieie
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pp' 49,, = Sao' -
80 :, :
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,,r;s,a - onao,,ntas 49,, ,.....sa.. -
:, .,e, 1;,,o +ha.,eo,,,a. ,a..,.,o
~, oi,ad +hat No., ,,,ana ~, .s,.. 80
Mo 1,1i ';n - ax;stanoa s - ee '''e wy -peo,
ms - ~" q .iaultloil Win the ma
IVES 'iVe9 oil Tue inalhlanu, VINO say that
..le strangers ~ #lpIousnt Two sledges with
tleil' pul Went away again ana never
iet,liieu. tslu. Neltner DeIore nor since has
any news come from the lost tribe.
On southampton Island there is no
soapstone, which among the Eskimo
elsewhere is the favOrite material for
pots and Kettles. Hence the people of
the lost tribe. are obliged to make such
receptacles in rectangular shape out
OF slabs Of limestone, glued together
with mixture of grease and deer
piood.
In the sameway they manufacture
their lamps. and this fact is another
evidence Of the prolonged isolation If
the community .flascrihed ;nasnnoh &c
Eskimo. when thew can obtain no
soapstone in their own neiehhnrhood
will paw any price to get Il from some
other more fortunate tribe. Some
times they will make trims 1astin.. sew
eral years in Cnest Of this natar;a,
which is of rare occurrence, and not
often discovered in pieces large enough
for lamps or pots.
The hunters Of Southampton Island
arm their harpoons with flint points,
and their arrows likewise. They make
these points by chipping the flint with
bone instruments. In their hunting
pouches they always carry a number
| of fresh arrowheads and spearheads.
| to provide for emergencies
OF course, never having seen a white
man until recently. and having been
| cut off for centuries from commnnica-
tlons. with other tribes of their own
people, they are not acquainted with
TOBACCO, a weed OF which the Eskimo