Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-08-25

POINT BARROW
Seret Morgan Who Gave the World News of Rogers and
Posts Deaths, Tells an Interesting Story Of Point
Barrow and How the Esqumos Live.

your hands and knees you creep
through a stuffy tunnel. This Is the
hallway to Shocks house or 1gloo' You
find that it has only one, low smoky
room, half under ground; a sort of
cave walled up with rocks and lined
with moss and earth. Sometimes
when on a journey the Eskimos build
their conical-shaped igloos' of rect
angular blocks cut rapidly from the
snow or ice.
You are gazing in wonderment at
the room lit by strange lamp, a rude
kind Of basin shaped from soapstone
and filled with whale or seal fat. The
burning wicks of twisted moss give
out heat as well as light. Over this
lamp stove Shocks mother-short and
stubby-almost Wabbly looking, with
a grin and smile on her face stretch
ing from ear to ear, wrinkles in her
brow, but a welcome in her heart, is
boiling the dinner. Silook does not
care much for cooked meat. He is
just as contented with piece Of raw
frozen fish or bear flesh.
"Silook's sister is sewing bird skins
together to make a shirt. Her bone
needle looks clumsy. She uses sinew
for thread, but she makes neat
looking seam. Our ladies couldn't do
so well.
whats the father doing2 He is
busy making a bow from the antler
Of a reindeer. He strings it with a
sealskin. He's getting hungry. SO
he lays it aside to eat a great piece
of raw flesh which the mother has JUS
cut from half-skinned seal that lies
on the earth floor. He is a short
| stocky man, not more than feet 4
inches high. In his furry clothes
he looks like a roly-poly bear. His
walk is almost a waddle.
l"CAZING around, you observe a low
platform made of rock. Silook
takes you to the platform. There
among the furs that cover it is an
Eskimo baby, its head sticking out Of
a bag Of hareskin. Silook lifts II up
and rubs his nose against its funny
little fiat nose The sister leaves her
sewing and comes over to rub noses
with the baby. This is the Eskimo
way Of kissing. The mother, seeing
the baby awake. brings handful Of
seal blubber. She feeds the baby
bit of it and he reaches for moro.
The mother then turns and gives 81
look and the sister each piece and
they smack their lips over it. ShH
then offers the guest one. When YOU
shake your head and say mo. than
you" Shook looks surprised. He
thinks 1t rather strange that you re-
fuse their Eskimo candy.
"The mother takes the baby up and
puts it in a long fur hood at the back
of her coat. Here it rides as she goes
about her work. She is shaking and
rubbing some wet skins that hang on
a drying rack. which is also made O.
bones. On this same rack are sets Of
strong hide straps. These you thin:
must be dog harness. These have {
be kept out of reach or the dogs
will get it, as they're always hungry.
1.-THE long months Of darkness am
the months of continual daylight kee'
the Eskimos from having any notio7
of regular hours for meals or for bed-
( time. Though it Is am. Silook takes
up the harness and beckons you r.
/ come on outdoors for a spin over the
snow!
/ "You are glad to leave the close,
ill-smelling room. You find the wild,
wolfish dogs lying in the tunnel hall
way. They follow Silook, crowding
and yelping for him, as he goes to the
| snow cave and takes out pieces OF
frozen walrus meat for them. The
moon is now shining and you watch
] Silook and his sister get the sledge
/ and dogs ready for the ride he prom
/ Used you. You examine the low run
ners and cross pieces. so skilfully made
of bone. 1t is very light, but 1t is
also very strong. as you find when,
wrapped in a fur robe. you go for a
swift ride over the white fields. Sllook
| sits in front as pilot and guides his 10
dogs with long leather whip as easily
as you turn your pony team.
IF you could understand Shocks
/ language he would tell you many
thrilling tales as you glide along the
white terrace He would speak of the
( bright Summer when for whole months
/ together the sun does not set on his
Arctic home, and the ice breaks up
I in the bays and inletS. Then comes
/ the exciting times when the snow caves
are filled with game for Winter food
| This Arctic Summer is one long
hunting party. The Eskimos leave
the unwholesome igloo' or huts and
live in 'tupeks' or tents of skin. which
they can carry about with them as
they search for game. o..
"Silook could tell you where the
great white owl makes his home,
where the little auks gather. Hidden
among the rocks. he catches hum
dreds of them in his homemade net.
He could tell you how, in his wonder
full little waterproof boat made of skin
stretched over a bone framework, he
helps land the great whale that the
men of his tribe have harpooned. Per-
haps you would like to see this flarA
pooh. The point is detachable. A
drag and an inflated sealskin bag are
fastened to it. The drag helps ex-
hauSt the wounded animal. When
the animal is dead the float on the
surface marks the place for the
hunters. Silook uses this weapon
when he surprises the walrus asleep on
the ice, or by the air hole of the seal:
With a sudden stroke of the spear, he
makes sure of seal blubber and a
warm skin for the next Winter. Then
you might hear an exciting bear story.
| for bear hunt with the crude instru-
|. Continued on Page 6, Column 79
|