The Pickens sentinel-journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1903-1906, 1904-11-23
] !.
Fun Of
Esquimau Children.
|. |. |. !. !.

,NNC1S~> oST northern OF all Uncle
y WIN \ Sans children are tho Es-
= WA 9 quimauX who live around
Point Barrow, which iuts
WSAS out into the Polar Sea be-
yond the Arctic Circle. There it is
night all winter long and day all sum-
mer long.
SO far from becoming gloomy be-
cause Of their dreary surroundings and
their long nights, the Point Barrow
children are particularly bright and
lively and full of mischief and play.
one or their pastimes in winter is to
dance to the Northern Lights
They are warmly clad in garments
made Of the skin of the Northern deer
or the Arctic fox. There is an upper
garment something like sweater with
hood to it, skin trousers and deer
skin boots coming TO the knee.
They wear deerskin mittens. and
when they sing their song to the Au-
rora Borealis and dance with it, they
frequently attach the tail of blue OF
white fox to their belt behind.
Each dancer clenches the fist. and.
bending the elbows, strikes them
against the sides of the body. keeping
time to song and stamping vigorously
with the right foot while springing 10
ana down with the left knee. The song
has large number of stanzas and be-
gins "Kioya Ike, kioya ke," which
means Hail to the Northern Lights"
when the aurora is bright and in an
especially dancing mood, the children
VIII often keep up the song and dance
for hours at time.
In winter the Point Barrow children
have SNOWFALL game which; they play
with their feet. They wet some snow
and make ball about rs big as two
hStS. The cold Is so intense that the
ball Immediately becomes solid ice.
Then the player balances the ball
on the toes of one foot and with q kick
and jump throws it to the other foot.
which catches it and throws it back.
Some Of the players are so expert that
they will keep this up for number of
strokes without letting the ball fall to
the ground.
The children of this tip-end of Uncle
Sans land also amuse themselves i'm
winter by sliding down the steep banks
of frozen snow which form under the
cliffs along the shores OF the frozen
sea. They use no sleds OF toboggans.
not even boards. in this sport, but slide
down the steep deciiyitics on their
knees
hneeling down and sitting well back.
with their hands grasping their ankles,
they go shooting along down great
Gtnnn Of lo,
ing. and now and then losing their bal
ance and getting tumble which sends
them rolling in heap to the foot OF
the snow hill.
Both boys and girls at Point Barrow
are fond OF playing football, but they
seem to have no order or system.
They simply get an old mitten or old
boot, and stuff it with bits of waste
deerskln or rags, and then kick 1t
about with merry shouts and in great
confusion
The children are very fond of dane
ing, and II they can get hold of an old
tin can which some whaler has left
they are happy. Beating the tin can
for a drum. they improvise dances for
themselves and invent songs to ac.
company them
The little ESqulmauX of Point Bar-
row have most mischievous little in.
strument which they call "mitigli.
gaun.' 1t is to the EsquimauX boy
what the bear trappcr is to the white
boy.
1t is made OF piece Of siff whale
bone about five inches long and half
an inch wide. 1t is narrowed OF and
bent up about an inch at one end.
On the upper side OF this bent uD
end Is little hollow large enough to
hold small pebble. ana the other end
Is cut into sharp teeth. This IS pure
" an instrument OF mischief, and
many little EsqCinau:i boy Is com
PEELED to retire with his mother into
one or their snow huts for a painful
interview because OF the reckless nan
aer In which he Uses his pebble snap.
per.
Tho children who rrollc by the
shores Of the frozen sen and dance
with the Northern Lights oven have
mechanical toys among their play
things. One is wooden doll repre-.
sent,ng . man dressed il skins.
lie holds Crcn in one haaG and a
stick III the other. Tie arms are made
of wlalebone. and ty pressing them to-.
gether at the shoulders tho figure can
be made to move as If beating the
Crum.
Then thc7 Lave liat!c toy kaiaks. or
canoes, Fl which Grc seated dolls with
paddles II their hands. Ry pullin- a
string the Coll is mace to move its
head from one side and make q no.
ton as II padding.
The Si2ls ere very fonI Of playing
cats cradle. Two little girls will sit
In ore OF the underground houses. or