26 NATURAL HISTORY OF ARCTIC AMERICA. 



edge was also used on tlicir large skimiiug-tnives, which were made from 

 a wah"us tiislc, aud much alter the patteru of an ordinary steel butcher- 

 knifo. Some of these ivory knives have no iron in them ; but at tlie 

 l)resent time they are used principally, if not entirely, for cutting snow 

 and removing ice from their kyacks. 



The women seldom use any other kind of knife than such as jnst de 

 scribed. With them they remove the blubber from the skins, sjilit skins, 

 cut up meat, and Avhen sewing this instrujuent is used instead of scissors. 

 They begin a garment by sewing together two pieces of skin and shap- 

 ing them as they go along by means of the knife, cutting for an inch or 

 two aud then sewing. They always j;».s7i the knife from tlicni when 

 working it. 



Tattooing does not seem to be as prevalent now as formerly, for it is 

 mostly on the aged women that one finds it at present. The markings 

 resemble India ink in appearance, and are done with gunpowder at i)res- 

 eut. Still, some use the old method, by taking the juice of Fucm resicii- 

 losus L. (or a closely allied species), aud some small algie that appar- 

 ently contain a good deal of iodine, and mixing with lampblack. 



Instances came under our observation of people of apparently great 

 age, — say seventy years and over, to judge from appearances; they had 

 gray hair (a rare thing among the Eskimo), and were nearly blind; 

 the women had the teeth worn close to the gums by chewing slvins. 



It is impossible to arrive at any definite conclusion regarding their 

 age, as they keep no record of time and cannot refer to any i)ast event 

 by any means of notation. AVe could not learn of the rudest attempt at 

 picture-writing or hieroglyphics; and, as they possess no records what- 

 ever, their traditions are handed down from generation to generation 

 without being fixed by any means whicli allow ev<'n an approximate 

 estimate of their growth and prosperity. 



Most of them are unable to count beyond theii- ten lin-crs, and many 

 are unable to go over six; some, again, are said to have names lor luim- 

 bers to twenty, but they are few. The numerals are dillereutly pro- 

 nounced, and we found difficulty in getting one sufficiently conversant 

 witli them to give us the numerals to ten. 



()\\v = At(ii(sn^ or atau.sttt. 



ThTCi}=riii(ja.suit, or piiujasat. 

 Vo\\T=)ScscmiHv, or scsoiKit. 

 yi\('=T('>(llimcn<\ or t6(Uimdt. 



