384 VOYAGE TO THE 



chap. t0 b e holding communion with that invisible world 

 <— - v^-» to which she was fast approaching. Though in 

 A \S' ner dotage, her opinion was often consulted, and 

 on more than one occasion in a mysterious manner. 

 We afterwards witnessed several instances of ex- 

 tremely old women exercising great influence over 

 the younger part of the community. On this occa- 

 sion I purchased a bow and quiver of arrows for a 

 brooch. The man who sold them referred the bar- 

 gain to the old woman above-mentioned, who appa- 

 rently disapproved of it, as the brooch was returned, 

 and the bow and arrows re-demanded. 



The males of this party were all provided with lip 

 ornaments; and we noticed a gradation in the size, cor- 

 responding to the ages of the party who wore them, 

 as well as a distinction in the nature of them. Two 

 young lads had the orifices in their lips quite raw : 

 they were about the size of a crow-quill, and were dis- 

 tended with small cylindrical pieces of ivory, with a 

 round knob at one end to prevent their falling out. 

 For some time after the operation has been per- 

 formed, it is necessary to turn the cylinders fre- 

 quently, that they may not adhere to the festering 

 flesh : in time this action becomes as habitual with 

 some of them as that of twirling the mustachios is 

 with a Mussulman. In the early stage it is attended 

 with great pain, the blood sometimes flowing, and I 

 have seen tears come into the boys' eyes while doing 

 it. Lip ornaments, with the males, appear to cor- 

 respond with the tattooing of the chins of the fe- 

 males ; a mark which is universally borne by the 

 women throughout both the eastern and western 

 Esquimaux tribes : the custom of wearing the la- 

 brets, however, does not extend much beyond the 



