Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1904-05-13
The Life Of Norton Sound.


tives who have their homes around Nor
ton Sound. well up towards the Arctic
Circle.
At the entrance in this sound is Cape
Nome, where men have taken fortunes
out Of the sands Of the seashore, which
are full Of particles of gold The natives
are short swarthy people-Eskimos with
Chinese look to them-and they live in
little villages, each village ruled over by
its 'headman." Some day these villages
may grow into cities and have mayors
and boards Of aldermen to govern them:
Mt present they get along very well un-
der the rule Of the headman. who is as
sisted by the wise old men of the com
munity, who act a sort of town coun-
ell.
In the centre of each of these Norton
Sound villages is built what is called the
Kashim, a good sized house looking like
mound of earth from outside: inside
it consists Of one big room
In summer the entrance into the Kashim
is by way of a small vestibule but in
winter YOU have to get i'm and out by
crawling on your hands and knees through
an underground tunnel. which opens in
the middle Of the floor.
The Kashim is lighted through n cir
cular hole in the middle Of the roof. which
is covered with a thin piece Of ice. that is
removed only to let the smoke out.
Around the room runs a wide bench.
whore the wise men and the men who are
the best hunters sleep. Pieces of wood
on the floor mark where the rest of the
men and boys Of the village sleep at
night; for the Kashim is the place where
the males Of the village pass nearly all
their time when they are not away hunt
ing.
Until a boy is about fourteen years old
he lives with his mother and his sis
tiers in their house in the village. He sees
little Of his father. who passes most Of
his time. when not hunting the bear or
deer over the frozen snow or out on the
ice in search Of the seal and walrus. in the
Kashim
When the boy is big enough TO go hunt
ing his mother leads him to the Kashm
ana makes a small present to every per-
son there, asking them to be kind to her
boy, as this is the first time he has ever
left his home and her care. After that
the boy makes his home entirely in the
KaShim until he grows up and gets mar
ried. when he has a hut of his own for
his family to live in. though he himself
passes most Of his time with the other
men and boys in the Kashim house.
Though the boy lives in the Kashim he
takes any game which he may kill home
TO his mother, who cooks it for him. She
carries his meals to him in the big house.
Here she will sit and talk while she
watches her husband and her boy eat and
then. after they have finished their meal,
she goes back again to her home.
When the men and boys get back from
| hunting there are merry times in the
Kashim.
Dances and festivals OF all kinds are
| held, and the 'shamans" perform their
most important ceremonies
These "shamans are clever men who
/ claim TO be able TO cure the sick by pound
| ing on drums and bowling out dreadfully
/ long songs. They are often possessed OF
some skill at sleight- hand, and so i'm
| lrcss the ignorant Eskimos immensely
l e. i'm ra old 81,
/ tribe collect the boys around them and
! tell stories Of mighty hunts which took
/ place years ago. They relate the his
/ tory Of the tribe, which the boys learn by
/ heart When they become wise old men
I they teach it to other children.
The boys are taught all about hunting
ana hshlue, ana how to make spears and
/ bows aud arrows, and. in fact all the wis
/ dom which the old men possess they
/ teach 10 the boys. While the wise old
/ men teach the boys the other men are at
| work on tools or implements Of the chase.
! or are preparing skins to be used in max
1 ing boots or clothing
| An oil lamp burns at the back OF the
/ room opposite the summer entrance and
/ IN winter a fire is built in the centre Of
/ the floor. The kashim is hot and crowded
/ and smells abomnably. but the Eskimos
/ 10 not mind that. The place is not partic-
! ularly light either, for the little light i'll
tiers through the slap of ice which covers
/ lhe mole IN the roof, and the oil lamp is
I a smoky affair, which would not get house
room tor minute in any part OF our
/ country
The sleeping place near the oil lamp is
/ the place Of honor, and there sit the sha-
/ mans, the wise old men. and the best
/ hunters. 1t is everybody's ambition to
be called some day TO sit by the lamp.
! Worthless men who are poor hunters
/ orphan boys, and friendless persons sit
/ near the door. and between them and the
/ lamp the other men and boys are ar
ranged according to their merits. either
/ as hunters or as being able to remember
/ what has been taught them of the tribal
/ traditions
/ In the winter many games are played
/ in the kashim 10y the men and boys and
/ many times they dance.
All messengers who arrive in the vii
/ Iage for the purpose Of inviting the peo-
/ pie To festival or other ceremony I'm their
own town 90 to the Kashim and enter
. ing it, they dance and sing a song Of in
I yitation.
They also make offerings to the people.
/ who give them presents in return; and
. there are mirth and feasting in the big
/ house, while the mothers from afar of
listen eagerly in the clear, cold night to
/ catch the sound OF their own boys voices
coming across the hard and shining snow
/ which CLEANS under the glare OF the
northern lights.-[Toronto Mail and EN-
pire.