Evening star., 1925-10-12
WALRUS HUNTING
DANGEROUS SPORT
Eskimos' Daring Makes
Civilized Mans Adventures
Tame Affairs.

|
Eskimo's ordinary routine Of making a
living. An Eskimo walrus hunt
staged in a tiny boat and with the
most primitive of weapons, offers the
game more than a sporting chance
and, in comparison, makes bull fight
ing or lion hunting by civilized man
with modern weapons seem poor and
one sided slaughter" according tc
Maynard Owen Williams, staff CORE
spondent of the National Geographic
Society with the Macmillan Arctic
expedition. An message forwarded
! to the society's Washington head
| quarters through amateur radio sta
| ton lARE, Of Pittsfleld. Mass.
when the Eskimo puts to sea in a
toy balloon Of q boat to battle to the
death with 90 times his weight OF pig
headed. bull-necked ferocity. his trusty
'steed' is corseted to his waist and his
trusty rife is made from a tusk In
the mouth Of his enemy" the message
| continues. He must not only Kill his
walrus, but also drag it ashore and. II
ne is forced to make an arsenal of his
narrow deck space, he does so.
Invades Enemy's Lair.
"A mighty hunter. equipped with
| the highest powered rifle that he can
shoot without making game Of him
J self, climbs tree, shoots lion and
| writes book. The Eskimo, however,
! invades the element In which the lion
of the sea- is at home but in which he.
| the hunter. cannot swim. He shackles
his feet inside a flipper by means OF
which he must outmaneuver an ami
| mai born with them, sinks a bit OF
I walrus ivory IN the tough hide OF his
! prey and gets his antagonist angry
| enough to come to the surface and re
, ceive the killing iron.
when II Is all over and his sink
! able quarry has been towed ashore
and cut up. the hunter removes its
| spleen, stretches the membrane on a
hoop made Of walrus ribs and makes a
| Kilaute "a musical instrumenO with
| which to accompany his song OF vic
| tory to his wife and dogs.
| The Eskimo must not only carry
his contest for food into the home ele
ment of his prey but must finish his
| Job without going home for more
tools Across the taut sealskin deck
of his kayak Eskimo canoe, are
stretched lines OF rawhide, held In
place by bone or walrus ivory buttons
| These lines serve as a tool chest, into
which each instrument is placed and
| from which it can be instantly with
drawn when the occasion arises
| Paddle Costs q Fox Skin.
| More important than any weapon
since the Eskimos life depends upon
/ it, is the double-bladed paddle
straight grained as base ball bat. and
tipped with bone. Along Smith Sound
the trees. willow and birch. are
inches high and paddle material must
| be bartered for. \ strong light stick
Z feet long, may cost a blue fox skin
The paddle is both propeller and
! helm and is material for a pontoor
| bridge when more than one kayak Is
moored abreast The paddle is
! stretched across from one frail bark to
another when the kayak is swung
broadside to the rock shore. Laid
across the deck and touching the rocks
| or ice the paddle also prevents over
| turning while the owner Is squirming
| out of the narrow opening.
Harpoon Does Not Kill.
! Next in importance is the harpoon
! It kills nothing. but 1t brings 1t back
| Ten inches of. the front Is made OF
/ bone. blunt pointed. and SO Joined
with rawhide that at impact 1t turns
| sideways, releasing the detachable
point and setting 1t across the incisior
! in the tough hide SO that it will hold
! The point is edged with steel. possibly
/ cut from some bandoned saw blade
! A long knotless line Joins 1t to the
awatah, or sealskin float, which tires
out the walrus and keeps him fronr
| sinking and being lost. This line il
made by skinning a broad cummbel
bund from the body OF square fippel
seal and then cutting from 1t a single
long line. This line, If kept moist, will
withstand the strain Of four TO five
men. A ton Of walrus Is beached BY
betting a line about 1t and using holes
cut in the ice, in lieu Of block anc
tackle.
THE killing iron which infiicts tn.
mortal hurt Is attached to long rod
1t must be lanced deep through tough
hide, thick fat,}and between close SCI
ribs to the heart before the sea Is red
dened with blood and the upendet
awatah, motionless In the water
shows that the fight is over and tha'
man has won.
"As the kayak deck is often awast
the owner wears q sealskin corslet
which laps over the rim Of the open
ing and prevents water from running
in on the one thickness Of bear skin
all that keeps him from feeling the
more than ice-cold water through ths
thin skin kayak covering.
Head Down in Water.
I'm South Greenland the corslet be
comes a shirt, which can be tied about
the face SO that the kayaker can turr
completely over or hang head doWr
in the water. The line is neatly coilec
on a circular stand set up on a bone
tripod on the fore deck. In the south
the kayak is not only smaller, faste,
and more easily handled in sea and or
land. but is also equipped with a tiny
keel which prevents side sway at each
stroke of the paddle.
THE South Greenlander also adds 6
throw stick to his harpoon and car
ries, In addition, bird spear fitted
with cruel trap Of bone jaws pro
jecting from it a third of the way
back upon the point. He carries alst
a bone fish knife, scientifically useG
fish cannot flop the fiat deck. In the
north, where there are almost no fish
this implement Is not needed. Where
a stout fish line is constantly being
dragged up and dropped, in the opera
ton known as jigging, the harpoon is
hung over the side to protect the
sealskin from the cut OF the line.
LAS we anchored at Sukkertoppen 6
circle of kayaks formed about thu
never seen lighter or more graceful
boats. Their keels glistened and theil
prows were neatly decorated with
ivory knobs. Many of the boatmer
were mere boys. who seemed more
skillful than Kookatingwa himself
But these South Greenlanders, pro
gressive as they appear, are less Gun
| ming and less self confident than tn,
Smith Sound Eskimos whom we fol
lowed to the walrus hunt outside
cape Alexandria,, there to disturb tn:
small-eyed lion of the sea at his clan
feast and engage him in a fight thai
does not ALWAYS end In favor of the