The New York herald., 1922-02-26

the earth: they came forth between
willows, covered with willow leaves.
And they lay sprawling between the
dwarf bushes with closed eyes, for
they could not even crawl. The soil
gave them their food.
at is next told about a man and a
woman. The woman makes chill
dren's clothes and wanders over the
soil. where she finds little children;
and she dresses them and brings
them home.
THUS two became many.
: "And when they were many they
wanted dogs. And a man went out
with a dogs harness in his hand.
stamping the ground while he called
'Hok-hok. hok!' Then the dogs
poured forth from mounds, tiny
mounds; and they shook themselves,
for they were full of sand. Thus
man got his dogs.
But the men increased, they be-
came more and more. They did not
know death that time, long, long
ago; and they grew very old. At
last they could walk no longer;
they grew blind and had to lie down."
Thus begins the quaint and Curl
Gus story of creation as told by the
old Eskimo woman in her simple Ian
guage, and she continues relating
how light came upon earth, and later
a mighty flood. Dramatic, indeed, is
the account she renders of the way
death first came to man, in that
time long, long ago." and with death
the sun, the moon, the stars, to be
followed by resurrection from the
dead. ''for when the people die they
rise to the sky and become RADIANT
1t is entirely possible that this
legend of the creation of the world
is more or less familiar to those who
have come in direct contact with the
Eskimo Highlanders. and that it is
already matter of written or print
ed record. The present writer heard
something analogous thereto some
fifteen years ago from Capt. Mikkle-
son. then recently returned from
Greenland. This, however. does not
lessen its interest for the general
reader.
Whether the Eskimos originated
such stories. in the "long, long ago."
or whether ancestors of the present
Eskimos were given Biblical ac-
counts of the creation by early ex-
plorers who visited them, is another.
matter, a question that may never
be settled, for the reason that early
explorers must have had great diff
Guilty in trying to make Eskimos un-
derstand what they were trying to
say in language never before heard
by the Eskimos. That this point is
shrouded in mystery. however. does
not detract from Rasmussen's SER
vice in now presenting the legends
to us for consideration.
This opening chapter. Of such alb
sorbing interest, is illustrated with
not less than thirty photographs. in
black and white. besides others In
tint. and has moreover, colored
plates and a number of pencil
sketches made by Eskimos-these
last being crude. primitive. of course,
yet Of recognizable ability.
Thenceforth. chapter by chapter,
the reader travels with Rasmussen
on his journey. The story, related
simply and clearly, is given in the
form of diary or log book: yet the
statements OF journeying are inter-
spersed with accounts OF hunting ad-
ventures, comment on many phases
OF physical aspects of Northern
Greenland, and examples of Eskimo
humor and folk lore. The work in
cludes appendices evidently prepared
with great care. One, treating OF
the fora and fauna on the north
coast of Greenland. by C. II. Osten-
field, is based on notes made by Dr..
Wulff, and that on geological obser-
vations, by Laugh Koch, both OF
whom accompanied Rasmussen. The
volume concludes with an account
of the routes of Eskimo wanderings
into Greenland, presumably written