58 THENORTH POLE 



family then moves outside and sets up the tupik, or 

 skin tent, which is their home from about the first of 

 June till some time in September. The tupik is made 

 of sealskins, with the hair on the inside. Ten or twelve 

 skins, sewed together in one large piece, make a tent. 

 It is stretched on poles, high in front and sloping 

 toward the back, thus offering the least possible 

 resistance to the wind, the edges held down with stones. 

 The earth floor of these tents is six or eight feet wide 

 and eight or ten feet long, according to the size of 

 the family. 



In recent years my Eskimos have adopted an im- 

 provement upon the building customs of the west 

 coast natives, and many of them have an entrance 

 extension to their tents made of transparent tanned 

 sealskins, thick enough to keep out the rain but not 

 the light. This adds to the roominess and comfort 

 of their summer dwellings. A usual practice among 

 the better class of Eskimos is to use the old tupik 

 of the previous summer for a rain or weather-guard 

 to the new tent. In heavy winds or heavy summer 

 rains, the old tupik is simply spread over the new one, 

 thus giving a double thickness and protection to the 

 owners. 



The bed platform in the tupik is now generally 

 made of lumber, which I have furnished, raised on 

 stones, and in pleasant weather the cooking is done 

 outside. Oil is the only fuel for heat, light, and cook- 

 ing. The Eskimo women trim the lamps so well 

 that there is no smoke from them, unless there is a 

 draft in the tent or igloo. They cut small pieces 

 of blubber, which they lay on moss and ignite, and the 



