ON THE ESKIMO. 39 



from this point of view, which is of the greatest importance for the ethnology of Arctic 

 America, that an early exploration of this region is very desirable. The study of the 

 new words of the Eskimo language is, also, an important one from this point of view. The 

 Eskimo do not incline to adopt foreign words, but use for coffee, powder, gun, etc., 

 descriptive words of their own language. Some of these are identical in areas widely 

 apart, and show that it is not impossible that the same word should be invented for the 

 same thing in two regions independent of each other. However, I will not dwell on 

 these details. A thorough stvidy of the language and of the tradilions is what is required 

 to solve the ethnological problems of this region. 



From the facts already known we arrive at the conclusion, that the more ancient 

 forms of customs and traditions are found west of Baffin Bay. In this way we are led 

 to conclude further that the Eskimo migrated by way of Baffin Laud to Greenland and 

 Labrador. The natives of Labrador and the south coast of Baffin Land, believe that the 

 events told in their traditions occurred in the far north. Those of Fury and Hecla Strait 

 point south and south-west to the American continent. The Western Eskimo refer to the 

 east as the place where their heroes performed their exploits. Therefore, it seems pro- 

 bable that the lake region west of Hudson Bay was the home of the Eskimo. "VVe find 

 their remains in the most northern parts of the Smith Sound region. At the present 

 time, the East Greeulanders and the West Greenlauders are very different from each 

 other. Therefore the probability is that the immigrants separated in Smith Sound, and 

 that one part went south while the other turned north-east, and thus reached the east 

 coast. 



A decision on these questions must be postponed until the ethnology of the Eskimo 

 is more thoroughly studied. Smith Sound, Chesterfield Inlet, Mackenzie Eiver and 

 Alaska, are the points where researches are most urgently needed. We hope that the 

 work will be undertaken ere long, else the ethnologist will be too late, and the tribes who 

 are dying out rapidly will have disappeared. 



