28 NATURAL HISTORY OF ARCTIC AMERICA. 



I could not learn tliat they have any knowledge of tlie medical prop- 

 erties of any plant or shrub. Some of the coarser kinds of algce are 

 procured at low tide from the cracks in the ice, and eaten raw. but only 

 because they are fit to eat, thej^ say; the roots of Fedicularis are also 

 sometimes eaten. 



When the women are about to be confined they are placed iii a small 

 snow-hut, if it be winter, and in a little skin tent, if simimer, by them- 

 selves. Their only attendant is a little girl, who is appointed by the head 

 ancoot of the encampment. A little raw meat — deer, if they have it — is 

 put into the hut with her, and she is left to give birth to the child as best 

 she can. The reason she is removed from her tent is, that should mother 

 or child die in the tent nothing pertaining to the equipment of the estab- 

 lishment could ever be used again, not even the tent-covering or 

 the husband's hunting-gear. In some instances they are obliged to 

 modify this custom somewhat. We have known them to cut the tent- 

 cover about two feet from the ground all around and use the upper por- 

 tion. A man's wife accidentally shot herself in her igloo, but the gun was 

 too great a sacrifice ; he used it, but the rest of his household eflects 

 were left to waste away where they lay. We knew of another instance 

 where the tent-poles were brought into use again in the course of a year 

 after a death had occurred beneath them. 



As soon as the mother with her new-born babe is able to get up and 

 go out, usually but a few hours, they are taken in charge by an aged 

 female ancoot, who seems to have some particular mission to perform in 

 such cases. She conducts them to some level spot on the ice, if near the 

 sea, and begins a sort of march in circles on the ice, the mother follow- 

 ing with the child on her back ; this manoeuvre is kept up some time, 

 the old woman going through a number of i^erformances the nature of 

 which we could not learn, and continually muttering something equally 

 unintelligible to us. 



The next act is to wade through snow-drifts, the aged ancoot leading 

 the way. We have been informed that it is customary for the mother 

 to wade thus bare-legged, but (whether from modesty or the tempera- 

 ture of — 50° F. we cannot say) on some occasions this part of the 

 X)erformance is dispensed with. 



When a sick person gets so far gone that they deem recovery improb- 

 able, he is removed from the hut, and either dragged out upon the rocks 

 to die, or a little snow shelter may be constructed for him. and some 

 scraps of raw meat thrown in to him. Usually such i^roceedings are apt 



