The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1909-11-03
THE ARCTIC'S LITTLE PEOPLE
HOW MIR. AND MRS. ESKIMO AND
THEIR CHILDREN LIVE.
Keeping the Larder Full by Fishing,
Hunting and Trapping Is
Continual Problem.

Continual Problem.
North of the Arctic circle, north Of
the lands where any tree will grow,
live a race of furry trousered little
men-and, for the matter of that,
women; for there the ladies wear the
breeches in more sense than one.
The Eskimo averages something
under ) feet inches in height, has
a merry little fiat face. with high,
prominent cheekbones, and eyes
slightly upturned at the outer cor
ners, betraying his Monaghan origin.
He rarely grows any hair on his face,
but makes up for it by plentiful
mop of dark black hair on his head.
The adies-especially the young
ones-do theirs in most elaborate
and very stiff topknot.
AS to complexion. it is so very rare
1y that one really sees an Eskimo's
complexion that it is hard to define.
AS matter of fact, his real coloring
is about that of an ordinary gypsy;
but he is usually disguised under
thick coating of smoke from blubber-
oil lamps, combined with the accum-
ulation of years of happy unwashed-
ness.
The Eskimo's Home.
The Eskimos are essentially a
coast race and it is rare to find a
colony of them even as much as so
miles from the shore. For they have
one great and continual problem to
face-the question of food Their
bare existence depends on keeping
the storehouse filled by trapping and
hunting and fishing For when the
long, six months arctic night sweeps
down and billiards. which no man
can face and remain alive rage for
days-even weeks-at a time, if the
tribal larder is empty the next sum-
mer's sun will shine on huts and
igloos tenanted only by few shriv-
eled, skeletOn-like forms 1t is a
case of root hog, or die.
His hOuse-or iglOo. as he calls
it costs him nothing but a little
trouble.
First, he scoops out a big circle in
the snow, Is TO 20 feet across, and
2 or 3 feet deep; round this he
builds a wall with blocks of ice or
frozen snow, gradually sloping in
ward until the whole has assumed a
beehive shape The cold freezes the
h1nnlzc 20
placed in position, and any cracks
or crevices are plastered with snow
and Theoretically sealed. He leaves
a small opening in his beehive, just
large enough to crawl through, and
builds on to this long tunnel-like
passage, and at the end he makes
a sharp, right-angle turn. This is
the front door.
Inside the igloo he builds raised
sleeping benches, or seats of honor
banks of snow a couple of feet high,
covered with skins, the richness and
quantity of which depends on his So
cial standing For light he has small
troughs full of blubber or seal oil
with a floating wick, and the result
is a good dea, more comfortable than
it may sound.
But when a whole family-and
possibly a few of the neighbors-
have been having a prolonged feast
inside, and the tunnel of the front
door is packed with snarling, fish
devouring, "hiskie' dogs a European
visitor might think that a dash of
eau-de-cologne would improve the at
mosphere.
How He Dresses.
Mr. and Mrs. Eskimo and Master
and Miss Eskimo wear their clothes
very much as they wear their skins,
and change them about as often.
These clothes consist mostly of soft
underskins, worn with the fur inside.
Then breeches and tunic of heavier,
coarser skins, worn fur outermOst
and skin boots and moccasins. Their
furs are beautifully cured and
dressed; the sewing is done with
fishbone needles and strong, fine
sinews for thread; and some of the
embroidery wOrk-especially on the