The evening times., 1900-03-12

NEW YORK. March 12.-On big island
in Hudsons Bay hitherto unknown tribe
of Eskimo has been found
Whalers discovered them, and the au-
thorities at the Museum of Natural His
tory, hearing the news. sent Capt. c. Clo-
nier to Investigate them. How well his
work has been done is rvilencei ~ The
glass cases row at the Indseum. fii'ed with
he strangest exhibit that ever came even
from the strange northland.
Until the last few months these people
: had never seen white man. The island
which they inhabit is called Southampton
| Island and is almost as large as the State
of Maine 1t is at the northwestern end
of Hudson's Bay. For centuries this tribe
has not had the slightest communication
with other Eskimo When discovered they
were still living in the stone age, and
knew no metals until they were introduc-
ed within year by visiting whaicrs, and
today they live just they did when they
first emigrated-from no one knows where.
Their residence probably antedates the
hlStOAtiN VI AllItl ia ny 1blNhibuS
They speak a dialect different from that
OF any OF. er known tribe. Their huts are
built of the skulls and jaws Of whales. COW
cred over with skins of animals. Snow
huts are the fashion among o;hcr Eskimo.
In the middle of their primitive dwelling
stands the stone lamp traised little from
the groundj which lights the home heats
il cooks the food serves for melting snow,
drying clothes. and the psTfectius OF some
the Greenland Eskimo this lamp is hol-
lowed out of soapstone. bur on SOuthamp-
ton Island the lamp is made Of a tat piece
of limestone around the edge Of which
narrow pieces of limestone are glued.
Their pots are made Of the same material
one slab serving as the bottom and four
others for the ends and sides OF the queer
est square pot ever made. The glue ~
made Of deers blood grease. and FISH roe
One glance at the inside of one OF these
pots lined with This pirchy mass is enough
to take away a white mans appetite FOR
week.
Into the limestone lamp. which is an
oval a foot or so wide and about two
inches deep. is put oil from whale blub-
ber. The wick is a piece OF moss. The
DO, is placed over the lamp on support,
on which hangs a piece OF biubber which
melts from the heat and feeds the lamp
continually
The dress of these people also differs in
design from that OF other Eskimo The
womens clothing Is made OF the skin OF
the reindeer sewed skiilfully and neatly
with needles of bone and sinews instead
OF thread The chief peculiarity lies in
four bags TWO on the shoulders and TWO
on the legs. No one can see any use in
these bags, for they are sewn shut but IT
is tradition that formerly they were
L. nd fbau. uSpH
ing the children in. The style still per-
sists. however though children are no lon
ger carried in this fashion. Another Pc
culiarity OF feminine fashion on Southamp-
ton Island is the head dress. Nothing like
il has been discovered the world over. The
women plat their hair in two plaits. part
ing the hair in the middle. The ends or
these piaits are then brought over the
shoulders and introduced into two tubes
Of deerskin. about an inch in diameter and
TWO feet long From the lower end OF
these tubes hang whisps OF hair. suggest
ing that the plaijs-which are actually
only long enough to teach the upper end OF
the tubes-are so long that they run
through the tubes and hang out 4 little.
Even among Eskimo women there Is 'glo-
~ in the hair. and the fashion holds,
though every one understands the polite
fiction.
The members of this tribe live altogether
by fishing and hunting. the whale being
the chief article Of diet. The bone har-
po0ns they use are tipped with Clipped
fiinJs as well as their arrows and spears.
The ingenuity with which they utilize the
whalebone is most surprising Cups and
buckets are made of IL by bending il .ound
and sewing on the bottoms. Whalebone
serves them for weapons and implements
of utility. They even press il into service
80. mol rphCp panllEp SlpdC Some Of
their sledges are made of walrus tusks as
runners and with deers antlers as cross
pieceS On so large an island as theirs
there is an abundance of game. such as the
seal waIrus and caribou. There are Cnly
fifty eight persons in the whole tribe. so
it is probable that it has decreased largely
during the centuries.
The island is thirty miles away from the
nearest point on the shore of Hudson Bay,
where there is colony OF Eskmos and
il is only once in a very long time that this
strait freezes over The tribe cheTisheS
tradition that about sCVenty-hVe years ago
this happened, and two hunters from the
mainland visited them though the visitors
were as much astonished as their hosts TO
know that there were other men on earth.
Each tribe believed that they were the only
people in existence. Strangers never visited
them again nor did they make any attempt
TO return the call.
In the large amount of valuable material
which Captain Cromer has brought back
with him are many curious implements and
weapons. The huge bone earrings with long
pendants are primitive jewelry indeed.
There are bows and arrows with flint
points or heads. and harpoons of bone sim
ilarly pointed with stone. Combs carved
out of ivory walrus tusks. and many curl
Gus ivory ornaments and carvings are
there: pipes made of stone. bone needles
sinew thread. raw hide dog whips, arrow
heads wrapped in intestine, and carried in
this fashion 10 replace those that might be
lost in the chase. They also carve in slate,
and stone and some of the quaint little
figures of polar bears musk OK. reindeer
and walrus. as well as of human beings
Will interest every beholder
The arrangement of all the exhibit is not
yet completed, and it will probably be sew
eral weeks at least before this curious col
lection is placed before the wondering eyes
of the New York public; but when it is. a
special visit to the museum for its study
will repay everyone
Express your satisfaction of HeurichS MaerZell.
Senate and Lager by calling for these beers bY