Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-03-11
HEAVEN or ESK|MOS
DARK AND CHEERLESS
Traveller Says Women Of Cop
per Tribe Spend Hours Over
Gossip and Scandal.

NY Associated Press to Every Evening.
Ottawa. March ll.-Modes Of life. |
supcrstitions and beliefs not very far |
removed from those OF the Neandcr-
thai man are revealed as today ex- |
istcns In the Iceland snow-clad fields
of the Far North. at Coronation Gulf.
The strange lives and beliefs OF |
these little-known inhabitants OF this
out-of-the-way land, the Copper |
Eskimos. are made known In official |
reports OF the Canadian Arctic Expc- |
ditiun of l9l3-lS. soon To be published. |
ID Is the work Of ID. Jennoss. ethnol- |
ugist with the southern party of the
expedition. who writes in an enter
tanning way of these peoples dwell
ings. their snow-and-ice dance halls.
their food. their marriages. their
their morality.
Eskimos. can be offended by scorn-
ful words and the hunter who n. ks
the caribou or seal will be suddenly
stricken down by Illness or logged by
constant I'll luck Not only must the
Eskimo propitiatc the shades of his
human dead. but also the spirits OF
the animals he kills.
The religious doctrines of the Cop
per Eskimos." Mr.. Jenncss asserts.
bring them little or no comfort. Mys-
FERROUS and hostile powers. invisible
and incalculable. hem them In rs
they believe. on every side. so that
they never know from day to day
whether a fatal Illness or misfortune
viii not strike them or their families
III al f,,-
reason, save the III will OF those UNI
seen foes.
Death rolls back the gate, not Of
happy hunting ground. or Of
heaven Of peace and happiness. but OF
some vague and gloomy realm where
joy and gladness must surely be I'M
known"
But there is a more human side. Mr..
Jenness explains. Their main dis
fractions are singing and dancing.
Practically all Their songs are dane
ing songs.
There is a good deal OF hack biting
and scandal-mongering." the ethnol-
ogist explains, especially among the
women. who Will sit and talk scandal
for hours"
There are fashions in clothing. las
and here as everywhere YOU cannot
have fine birds without fine feathers"
Every man and woman OF fashion
should possess two suits Of everyday
working clothes. one for summer and
one for winter. a thick set Of heavy
winter clothing for travelling and visit
Ing. and lighter set OF short haired
summer skins ornamented with color
a Nnna,, 40
appendages OF various kinds. to wear
in the dance house on ceremonial oc-
casions
Words Of warning appear in the
closing passages OF the report. Rapid
changes are taking place. Implements
20 iron and steel. rifles. fshnets. open
boats. European textiles and sewing
machines. European foods. cheap
musical instruments and the develop
ment OF trapping at the expense of
hunting and sealing will efrec; a COM
rlete transformation In the course OF
few years.
Already" writes Or Jenness. the
now culture has profoundly modified
their social and religious ideas and
before the present generation passes
away the primitiveness Of the Copper
is~h iilo wall nave CEASED 10 exist. In
throwing open their country 20 outside
invasion we have incurred "a heavy
reSponsibility toward the natives. We
may increase the security OF life
among them by checking infanticide
and murder. we may protect them
from unscrupulous exploitation, but
his will be OF little avail unless we
immediately take measures 10 Sc
cure them against the Introduction Of
our diseases. The Copper Eskimos
have no diseases OF their own. or. at
least, none were known up TO 1916.
AT the present time the only prac-
ticabl< route into the Copper Eskimo
country is by way Of the Mackenzie
river and II no one We're allowed 10
20 eastward without certificate from
a medical officer II might be possible
TO save these natives from the worst
OF our diseases and a more or less
speedy extinction"