The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-02-21
LOST TRIBE OF ESQUIMAUs.

Washington Co. Boston Transcript
The strangest anthropological find re-
corded in the last decade of the nine
teenth century will soon be announced by
the American Museum of Natural His
tory. 1t is nothing less than the discovery
on lonely island in Hudson Bay, of
lost tribe of ESquimaus-a community
Wnlcn mas been without intercourse with
other representatives of the human Spe-
cies for centuries. and whose members
never saw a white man until lew
months ago They are still in the Stone
Age, knowing no metals; they grow no
plants, and their houses are built of the
The home of this strange tribe. which
seems to have been cut off in some I'M
known manner from the rest of the
world ever so long ago, is on Southamp-
firma nearly as big as the State of Maine,
Apparently the people have dwelt there
a4ter. cinees rre- Coi ,3I1fis,1 +ir,ac ana 70
day they live and subsist in exactly the
same way as they did then Having been
isolated for long a period, it is natural
that they should exhibit many peculiari-
ties most interesting to the student of
ethnOlOgy. and these are Illustrated by
superb collection of utensils, weapons of
the chase and other objects. which,
has been fetched to New York in a whal-
ing vessel and deposited in the Museum
The houses of skulls above mentioned.
more properly described as huts are built
right whales which are covered with
skins. In the middle of this primitive
stands the inevita bic stone lamp-chief es-
sential of every Esquimau household In
deed. the whole life of the family may be
said to revolXe about this lamp, the in
mates depending upon It for their very
able TO occupy so frigid ana otherwise I'M
inh2 bitable region. It is employed for
lighting, heating, cooking. melting snow,
CRYING clothes and IN certain arts: Yet
it is nothing more than an open dish of
whale or seal oil: with wick of dry
The whale is the chief means of sub
sistence of this strange people, who hunt
the mighty cetacean in skin boats much
like those used by other Esquimaus. 1t
is from the right whale that the whales
bone of commerce is obtained, and this
material they use in a variety of surpris-
ing ways. making even their cups and
buckets of it by bending it into rounded
shapes and sewing on the bottoms Many
and from the same stuff they manufac-
ture toboggan-like sleds They make
sledges of pairs of walruS tuSks for run
ners and deer antlers for cross pieces It
would be hard to find more daring hunt
ers than they are. the seal. the walrus
and the wary caribou contributing to
The tribe comprises only fifty-eight in
dividuals. about equally divided as to
cuIiar to themselves and quite unlike
that employed by other Esquimaus. A
strait about thirty miles broad separates
! Southampton Island from the western
shore of Hudson Bay. where there is a
while it freezes clear across. This hap
pened, 1t is said, SeVenty-five years ago,
anu tnen a lew hunters came over from
the island to the mainland. where they
were much surprised to encounter other
human beings like themselves, having
doubtless imagined that they were the
only people in existence. This is now a
tradition with the natives the main
land, who say that the strangers brought
two sledges with them. but went away
again and never returned Neither before
nor since has any news came from the
lost tribe.
on Southampton Island there is no
Soapstone, which among the Esquimaus
elsewhere is the favorite materials for
pots and kettles; hence the people of the
lost tribe are obliged to make such recep-
tacles in rectangular shapes out of slabs
of limestone glued together with a mix
same way they manufacture their lamps
and this fact is another evidence of the
prolonged isolation of the community de-
scflDed- lnaSmuch as ESquimaus when
they can obtain no Soapstone in their own
neighbOrhOOd will pay any price to get
it from some other more fortunate tribe
Sometimes they will make trips LASTING
several years in quest of this material
Which Is of rare occurrence, and not often
lamps or pots
The hunters of Southampton Island arm
their harpoons with flint points. and their
arrows hkeW1se. They make these points
by chipping the flint with bone instru-
ments- IN their hunting pouches thew al
ways carry a number Of fresh arrov6eads
ana Spe3rheads to provide for emergen-
c1es OF course. never having seen A
white man until recently and having been
cation with other tribes of their own peo-
pie, they are not acquainted with tobacco
a weed of which the Esquimaus in gen
eral are exceedingly fond. Neither do
/ they possess any article whatever that
mas been introduced into America since
/ the landing Of Columbus Fire thew on
/ tain by means of the "a 1oiIiar - ~,
which is such old continuance that II
was commonly used in ancient EayDf
/ Both sexes wear jackets of deerslxin and
/ combination boots and trousers of hear
skin.