﻿840 ESKIMOS. 



the native nations that presents itself in descending 

 from the north, is that of the Eskimos^ as Europeans 

 term them. This appellation is probably of Canadian 

 origin, and the word, which in French orthogra- 

 phy is written Esquimaux^ was probably originally 

 Ceux qui miaux (^niaulent), and was expressive of 

 the shouts of Tey-mo, proceeding from the fleets of 

 kaiyaks, that surround a trading vessel in the Straits 

 of Hudson, or coasts of Labrador. The sailors of the 

 Hudson's Bay Company's ships, and the Orkney 

 men in the employment of the Company, still call 

 them Suckembs or Seymos. Some writers, however, 

 have thought the word to be a corruption of the 

 Abenaki terra Eskimantik, signifying " eaters of raw 

 flesh," which is certainly a habit peculiar to the 

 Eskimos, But be the origin of the name what it 

 may, it certainly does not belong to the language 

 of the nation, who invariably call themselves Inu-it 

 (pronounced Ee-noo-eet)^ or " the people," from 

 i-nuk " a man," though families or tribes have, in 

 addition, local designations. 



The Eskimos offer an interesting study to the 

 ethnologist, on account of the very great linear 

 extent of their country, — of their being the only 

 uncivilised people who inhabit both the old and 

 new continents, — and of their seclusion to the north 

 of all other American nations, with whom they 

 have a very limited intercourse ; so that their 



