The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1907-03-08
WHITE WoMAN's LONELY TRIP.
Fifteen Months Amid East Green
land 8 Esquimaux.

$fo from q fifteen months visit to oiithe
coast OF east Greenland. The doctor
went there as q scientific man to
study the Esquimaux of that coast.
Not even their existence was known
until Lieutenant Holm Of the Danish
navy discovered them in 1883 and
passed the following winter in their
settlements. .E'& r = "
Mrs. Thalbitzer, a we'll known Dan
lsn sculptor, accompanied her hus-
band in order to make models of; the
natives in wax. The place where they
lived among the natives was Angmag-
salik, one Of the most isolated places
in the world. ... ....
1t is connected with tile outer
world only once year, when DAN
lsh steamer visits it with mail and
supplies for the solitary white family
living there and with trade goods for
the natives. The vessel leaves in a
few days for civilization again, carry
ing the skins, furs and eiderdown the
Esquimaux have collected during the
year.
Angmagsalil< is a little place where
the entire native population of east
Greenland, more than 400 souls is now
centered. Esquimau ruins are scatter
ed along the coast as far north as ex-
plorers have penetrated, but today
the people are living only in this won
derfnlly grand ana picturesque noun
tain region near Cape Dan.
When the snow melts in the spring
the land is covered with a compara-
lively rich vegetation composed Of
small shrubs and MOSES. But the
wide glaciers everywhere thrust their
noses far ont into the sea, making
walls that the natives could not cir
cunvent. This is why the east and
west coast natives did not know of
each others existence.
Here the Danes established a trad
ing station in 1894. As the little
steamer carrying DR.. Thalbitzer and
his wife pushed through the icy shore
they saw Johann Petersen, the only
white man living in east Greenland,
on the harbor beach waving a welcome
to them.
He, his wife and little son are the
only white persons living on this
coast. He is the governor of Danish
east Greenland and also the trading
agent of the Danish government, bar
tcring goods from Denmark for the
commodities the natives have to ex-
change. A little haven near the
mouth of ford offers safe anchorage,
and the place is very busy until the
vessel steams away again, not to re-
appear until another year rolls around
These 400 odd natives are all that
are left Of the once large east Green
land native population. A wonderful
change has befallen them since Holm
revealed them to the world twenty
four years ago.
When he discovered them they had
no knowledge whatever of their rela-
tives on the west coast of Greenland
and had never heard of the big out
side world. They had long been able
to use some articles made by civilized
men, for their harpoons were tipped
with iron, sharpened from the hoop
iron washed on their shores, and rel
les Of many ship that went down
probably hundreds of miles from their
coast were found in their humble
huts serving some useful though un-
accustomed purpose. 1t is supposed
that they reached the east coast ages
ago by passing around the north end
of Greenland.
Today they buy with the commodi-
ties they collect implements, matches
and many other European commodi-
ties. The white man is helping them
to reduce to minimum the hardships
Of their lives.
In fact there is a good prospect
that they would lose many of the
characteristics of their primitive con-
dition and for this reason DR.. Thalbit-
ger and his wife were sent among
them to make them the subject Of
year of study while they were still
one Of the few bands of Esquimau
race wholly unmodified by contact
with the whites.
To reach these people, cut off from
the rest of the world as they are by
ice, requires long and most uncom-
Portable journey. Angmagsalik has