The sun., 1919-03-16
Fin d S
Wonders of Civ
iIization Out
matched by Ma
tives' Tales of
Magic

pernatural instead of by the standards
of the natural; he compares it with
other miraculous things of which no
has heard and which he may even
think he has himself seen, and he finds
1t not at all beyond the average of
miracles; for the wonders of our
science and the widest tales of our
own mythologies pale beside the mar
wells which the Eskimo suppose to be
happening all around them every day
at the behest of their magicians.
Dancing I'm a snow Dance Hall.
1t was near noon of our first day
when some one asked me If there were
not some way in which the western
people celebrated the coming of visitors.
| replied that usually all the village
gathered in a great dance. That was
just their way, my hosts told me, and,
seeing that our customs conceded,
they would make a dance house as
large as If two large tribes had met to
trade. We should see how they
danced. and possibly we might dance
for them. too. BY midafternoon the
dance house was up, a snow dome nine
feet high. large enough to accommo-
date forty people standing in circle
around a five foot open space in the
| centre for the dancers
The conditions of life had for many
years been hard in the tribe, l WIS
| told and while their ancestors had
| danced often and had had many drums
! (the only musical instrument OF the
| Eskimo). they themselves had OF lato
years danced but seldom, and there was
only one drum left among them. 1t
was n sunshiny. warm day, and while
the men were building the dance house
some one fetched tho drum, and n
young woman sang for us TO it's &C
| compartment She handled it like a
tambourine, and played 1t In a manner
entirely different from that of tho west
ern Eskimo. The songs were different.
too, and they sang them charmingly.
One song had n rhythm resembling
that of the ancient Morse scaldio
poems. The girl who sang it was her
self very fair for an Eskimo, and had
the long, slim fingers l had seen
only among half bloods in Alaska It
was hero / got tho first definite sugges-
ton that the blond traits which were
observable in this tribe Though not to
such a degree as among other tribes
later visited might have some direct
connection with the lost Scandinavian
colonlsts OF Greenland.
The dance, which began as soon "a
tho dance house was built, continued
the rest Of the afternoon. None Of the
dances were Identical with any known
to my companions from Alaska or the
Mackenzie, but there was n general
similarity. The performers differed In
some cases markedly among them
selves;s those especially whose ances-
tors were said to have como from tho
mainland coast to the west differed
strongly from the rest.
Many dances were performed with
! out moving the feet at all, but By
, swaying the body and gesticulating
with tho arms.
| In some cases tho performer sang.
recited or uttered series Of eXclama-
tons; in others he was silent, but all
dances were done TO the acComDani-
ment or the singing OF all those pros
ent, who knew the song appropriate 10
each dance. Some dances known 10
: individuals could not he shown because
no one could sing the accompaniment.
At this time OF the year Cthe middle
or May there was no darkness at
midnight. Nevertheless tho poop
,, lived with fair regularity. ana or
dance ended about s o'clock In the ev
ming. when tho women announced SUI
! per. After it we talked for n viii
and then all walked home with rs
where about half the village was ga,s
cred as before. They stayed onlv-
I, short while, and by IL o'clock the id
visitor had wished us friendly gCt
night ID
/ Copyright. 1919, by Vnhjalmur ste,a
son. q
u (To % continued mart s,.ann.., NJ.