Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1922-05-10

An Eskimo's Home in Snowy
Land, as Told to Me by
Stockton Porter.
Editor of The Advertiser:
| was talking the other day with a
man from the frozen snowyland.
give the story as it was told to me;
and this is what he said: The tiny
brown man of the frozen northland
does not go to store to buy his sup
plies, he fishes his material out of the
ocean, and then with his own hands
Inc manufactures his tools, dishes and
clothes. The wee igloo, or snow house
was shaped like beehive and con-
.ttained dishes made from the bones
| of the white whale and lovely little
napkin rings cut from the tusks of a
walrus, and then rubbed to satin
l:polish with seal skin. Upon one of
these our host had carefully carved
quaint figures that recorded the story
of whole year of his life. There was
a bear hunt, seal speared through
its breathing hole, and very hair
lifting adventure where wee kayak,
or boat, was turned upside down right
in open sea.
Mrs. Eskimo's stove was a shallow
platter made out of soapstone. The
wicks for her lamp were wee wisps of
reindeer moss rolled into strings, and
then placed along the edge of the
dish, their ends resting in pool of
seal oil. She cooks the food in anoth-
er shallow dish hung over this very
smelly oil stove and lamp combined.
The seal meat was only warmed a
bit, and he said to me how we'll this
Eskimo family lived up to its racial
name of Eskimo, which means "eat-
ing of raw flesh"
To an Eskimo family walrus is
equal to delightful Christmas tree
that may be carried home and kept
forever. The thick skin furnishes q
rug for the floor and curtain for the
door; the bones give Mr.. Eskimo the
frame for his boat, the runners for
his sled, handles for his harpoons,
and hairpins for the whole family.
There is even walrus thread, for Mrs.
Eskimo sews with the sinews.
The little boy who looked like an
animated teddy bear, had most
amazing tambourine. 1t was made
from a strip of whale bone fashion
ed into circle; over this was stretch
ed a piece of skin; two little bones
beat out doleful dirge that started
every dog within hearing to weeping
aloud in utter anguish of soul and
ears.
Mr.. Eskimo's knife, or savik, was a
piece of flint ground to fine point.
This was lashed between two stout
bones, and the little man had very
useful weapon with which to hunt
seals. His dog sled was very wonder
ful-not nail of a bolt was in it,
but it was as firm as if made Sof the
finest steel. The body of the sled was
of driftwood lashed in place with
strips of hide; the runners were big
curved walrus bones. When he has
nothing but bones the little man
makes his sled of what he has and
never wastes even a moment wishing
fo: something else. The polar bear
adds very generously to the furnish
ing of the tiny igloo. His flesh and
his fat and his bones are all so JOY
ously used that one could but wonder
if the original owner would not have
parted with them willingly had he
known the genuine pleasure and COM
fort they would give to so many peo-
Pile. Mr.. Bears coat makes glorious
| ly warm quilt for the tiny sleeping
shelf that serves for bed, or it may
be fashioned into handsome winter
suit for Mr.. Eskimo. Little Mrs. Eski-
mo plucks out big punches of long
white hair and makes tassels to deco
rate her best seal-skin jacket. She
wears the teeth, polished and strung
around her neck on string of hide;
and with the smaller bones she tucks
| up her hair into the perky top knot
that is the latest style in Eskimoland.
Mrs. Eskimo is vastly clever with
her hands her teeth. She has
neither scissors, patterns or needles;
i she cuts clothing with a knife; she
sews with a bone for a needle and