Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1902-04-03

ditions are best fulfilled on the low
peninsulas that jut out seaward from
the foot of the cliffs in many places.
However, where there is sunny.
grassgrown terrace Glgerna), with a
breeding place of little auks near by,
the Esquimau does not object to build
ing 800 or 400 feet above sea level.
Thus the whole coast is lined with
houses built in past centuries. so that
there is rarely need of building new
ones. At first sight we would hardly
call them houses, they look SO much
like mounds. 1t is only at the end
of a long march, whea cold and fatigue
combine to render one appreciatiye.
that the presence or absence of one
of these houses at the stopping place
makes all the difference between
comfort and misery. They are all
constructed after an invariable pat
tern. A famous philosopher by simply
remarking that "all swallows build
alike" thought he had proved that an
imals do not reason. II that proof is
valid, EsQuimaus must be included
among animals, for, except a slight
difference in size, there is no variation
in the plan of their houses. In point
of economy of space it would be hard
to beat them. The ordinary move
ments required in eating, cooking,
dressing and undressing and going to
sleep. etc, may be performed in the
Enclosed space with perfect comfort,
but you must not move further than
usual in any direction if you do not
wish to run up against the wall. The
ground plan has the shape of horse
shoe with two excrescences at the col
ners. The walls and roof are of stone.
large fat slabs being used for the
We see the sleeping platform Ggieng)
raised about 1iS feet above the floor
(nateng), thus securing both dryness
and warmth. The top of the igleng
is levelled off by means of fat stones.
Grass is spread over these, next seal
skins, then the mattress (ka), con-
sisting of a reindeer skin. Another
reindeer skin (keping) serves as cover
let. The heads of the sleepers are
turned toward the door; the feet. re-
During less space, converge toward
the rear. Two adults and two chill
dren can sleep comfortably on this
platform. but in emergencies they
manage to find room for eight people
On the cooking platforms Cikpan, at
each side is the stone lamp (kodleng)
over which hangs the kettle (kolip-
SUM and over this the drying frame
(inuten). The lamp, made of soap
stone, has almost exactly the shape OF
dustpan and varies from s inches
to 2 feet in length. Along the front
edge quantity of pulverized moss is
arranged in the form of a little ridge,
saturated with seal oil and lighted.
Soon the flame spreads all along the
edge. The body of the lamp is filled
with pieces of blubber, which, melting.
fill the lamp with oil and thus feed the
flame.
For the most part the natives con-
fine their journeys to the inhabited
coast. There is not an adult in the
tribe that has not dived INTO every
ask boy of seventeen or eighteen
how far he has been, he may tell you
that he has gone no further north
than Piterarwi; If you ask a boy at
Etah, he may say that he has been nc
further south than Netidliwi; but
every person over twenty has been
everywhere on the coast. Little
Akatengwa and Niakautya, the chill
dren of our Esquimau family, ten and
seven years old, respectively, had
been in every nook of the coast excepr
the extreme head of Inglefield Gulf
Thus every individual in the tribe
meets every other individual every
few years, and most of them several
times year; every one knows every
one else's biography and family his
tory. The whole tribe. of some two
hundred and fifty individuals, in fact
forms one large family. Maj rage, in
deed. is strictly forbidden within
known limits of kinship; but this very
fact insures a constant fusion of blond
When man cannot marry within his
known circle of relatives, comprising,
say, one-fourth of the tribe, he neces-
sarily has to extend his relation snip to
another fourth Such intimate blend
ing might be expected to produce a
type so homogeneous that Individuals
would be almost indistinguishable.
As might be expected, parental love
without which no species of bird or
beast could long survive, is pronounced
among the Esquimaus. Our man
Akomadingwa, sullen and morose as a
rule. grew cheerful only in company uf
his little son Niakoutya, whom he
would dance on his knee and fondie
and hug by the hour. both father and
son being convulsed with laughter all
the time. 1t was useless &c try to in
duce him to go on trip lasting more
than a day unless he could nave the
boy with him. Angutibluahsu, at Cape
York. dotted on his boy living Tor I'm
erahsu) in just the same way. III
gave him a slice of Australian mutton
"a gift of Co ptain Milne of the whalerI
Eclipse) he would take a bite OF IL
and put the rest away-for living. as
he said.
What is to be the future of this most