The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1937-12-02
MARYLAND BIBLE[! SOCIETY
By REV. EDGAR CoRDELL POWERS.
Executive Secretary ~
The Bible In Eskimo

Shut in by icy barriers, shrouded in
night for nearly half the year, the
Eskimos dwell in the land of perpetual
snow, through the whole of the Arctic
and sub-arctic coast line of North
America to Alaska. They are indeed a
hardy race, dwelling in small COM
munities from one family to two or
three hundreds souls, mostly depend
ing on the sea and sea-coast for their
living. .. .a-..sa'
They are an interesting folk, and
while they make no great clamor in
the world, nevertheless they contrib
ute their small share to the markets
of the world in the shape of beautiful
fox furs for the adornment of ladies
of higher civilization. How many of
these ladies give thought to the
hardy hunters who brave terrific
storms and endure untold hardships to
obtain these furs?
Nothing is known of the origin of
the Eskomo race, or when or why they
chose the ice-girt shores of Arctic seas
for their homesteads. Certainly their
ancestors who settled in this country
came with no expectation of finding a
land flowing with milk and honey.
They stoically took what apparently
no other race thought worth taking,
and settled down to make the best of
the situation. Thus they have existed
for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of
years, causing no disturbance in the
world, molesting no one, happy and
contented if left to battle with king
frost and to wiring a scanty living
from close-fsted mother nature, who
if she smiles at all upon her children
of that far northern cline does so in
most frosty manner.
These people had a religion whose
origin is as misty as their own. Torn
gah was their god, who ruler in hier-
archy of lesser spirits. About two hun
dred yeas ago the Moravians contact
ed the Eskimos who then dwelt as far
south as the Gulf of the st. Lawrence.
Today their southern limit is Labora-
dor. Since the year It'll the Moravians
have an unbroken record of mission
airy work among the Eskimos, and
their objective through all these years
has been to make disciples and to
teach them to observe all things that
Christ has commanded.
Every district of a primitive peo-
pie has it's dialect. That of the Labo-
rador Eskimos was so different from
that of Greenland that it could not be
understood. The missionaries were
therefore compelled first to learn the
dialect Of Laborador, then translate
the Bible into it in such way that the
natives would understand the stories
and the teachings.
How could the Eskimos understand
about land parched for lack of rain,
or the work of a farm or garden?
Never having seen these things, they
were at disadvantage in compre-
hending the meaning of many things
spoken of in Gods word.
But such difficulties were overcome.
"The Lion of the Tribe of Judah" had
to be introduced to the Eskimos thru
pictures. They had a name for horse,
but chariot" became for them "a
sled on wheels" The ass appears in
Eskimo as "the big-eared one," but an
understanding of the likeness of this
creature had to be helped out with pic
lures. Revisions, of course, are made
from time to time, and for many years
the whole Bible has been translated
into Eskimo. To them the Bible is in
deed the Book of Books. While they
now have other books, none are read
as constantly as the Bible. It is faith