The Nome nugget., 1927-03-26

Church as a missionary to Gambell on St. Lawrence Island and Mrs. Nickerson was sent there as teach CT by the Bureau of Education. was sent there as Mrs. N1ckerson's assistant. The school had an en- rollment of fifty-five. The popula- ton of Eskimos on that island is about four hundred.
 The beliefs, marriage customs and homes of the St. Lawrence Island Eskimos are entirely different from those of the mainland Eskimos but they have very much the same hab- its and customs as the Siberian Eskimos.
 The Eskimos of the mainland are trying to live more like white peo- pie but white people are not allow ed to go to St. Lawrence Island for the winter, except as teachers.
 They use the same kind of ma terials for their clothing but they have a style all their own. The women wear blouses like parkas of calico with six inch flounces on the bottom over their deerskin par kas, which come down to their knees. The deerskin parkas have hoods fringed with dog skin which stands out from their faces. This is the most popular fur for parkas, because in winter the breath does not freeze into icicles upon it. Un- derneath the parkas the women wear fur suits shaped at the bottom like boomers. The mukluks are different from ours in that they are lined near the top with thick hairy deerskin.
 They live differently from the description given in most books They have houses of walrus skin and those who can afford to buy lumber to build their houses have frame houses. Snow houses are comparatively unknown. Inside the large house is smaller house cov- cred with grass and skin. This has deer skii curtain in front with two holes just large enough for a face. These holes arc used for ventilation. In this room sev- eral families live, eating and sleep ing there, all getting along peace ably. It is so hot and badly ven tilated that they often go almost naked while indoors. Every mar ried woman has her own seal oil lamp also furnishes light.
 The people live upon the flesh of the seal, the walrus, the whale and the reindeer with sugar, tea and very little bread which is baked in school. The women cut the boiled meat or the frozen meat into small pieces and place it in wooden bowl. The family sit around in circle on the walrus skin floor. To eat this they use their fingers in place of forks.
 According to their marriage cus- toms the young man has to work Six or seven years for his wife be- fore he can marry her and then sometimes he fails to get her. Polygamy is sometimes practiced
 The girls and women have been tattooed on their faces and hands to make themselves beautiful as they think
 One of their beliefs is that in ev- cry child is the soul of one of it's ancestors. Therefore they will nev- CT punish their children for fear of insulting some respected grand father or grandmother The child ren are taught not to play with the Eskimo ball made of deer skin filled with reindeer hair just before the hunting season for fear of driving the seals, whales and walrus out from the shore Before the whal- ing season opens the men offer up sacrifices to the moon by throwing meat up into the air
 Several men are witches and their way of trying to cure the sick is by beating the drum and singing song used especially for this pur- pose.
 In the month of June, while I was there more than fifty Eski- mos from Siberia arrived at Gam bell to trade and play games. The first sunshiny morning the men formed circle and ran around, dropping out of the circle when tired. They wrestled with the up- per parts of the body bare and threw each other down on the ground. In the evening the mid night srn made fho IfUht aa hrfoht