100 TUENEE ON THE INDIANS 



lu stature the Itivimyut is shorter than his mainland neighbors, his height seldom 

 exceeding five feet, six inches ; the females hardly more than five feet, two inches. Both 

 sexes are compactly built, rarely shewing an extreme of meagreness or stoutness. The 

 color of the skin is somewhat darker than that of the Innuit to the north of them. The facial 

 outline is somewhat oval, or not so rounded as the usual type of Innuit ; the cheek-bones 

 not noticeably prominent ; the eyes rather deep set, probably exagerated by the heavy 

 eyebrows, a feature not common among the Innuit. The mouth is small, lips thin, nose 

 not prominent. The hair of both sexes is worn long, the women never cutting it. The 

 men cut the hair only when it reaches below the middle of the neck. They wear no 

 labrets, do not practice the tonsure, and tattoo only to a moderate degree, a custom appa- 

 rently decreasing. 



Their food consists of the products of the country and waters — seals, white whales 

 and reindeer, furnishing them with the principal food. They procure some kinds of food 

 in limited quantities from the trader's stock. They are fond of tobacco, molasses and hard 

 crackers. They are excessively superstitious ; although the Itivimyiit has heard the 

 teachings of the missionary for many years, yet when at home he is anything but the appa- 

 rently devout believer that he pretends to be at the trading-post. Strangely enough, 

 some of the worst characters among the Itivimyut are members of families containing the 

 most ardent believers in the teachings of the missionary. 



Generally speaking, they are a quiet and inoifeusive people, when journeying from 

 their homes, but often the opposite when returning. Some of them have attained a wide 

 renown as shamans, and their aid is invoked at such distance by their neighbors, that the 

 material form of the individual is unable to appear ; and even when he has no knowlege that 

 his presence is wanted, an efiigy may be made to subserve the purpose, as it is supposed 

 to be endowed with the potent attributes of the living. Their circumstances are often of a 

 precarious character ; hence they are frequently reduced to the point of starvation. So 

 badly are they provided with means to procure game, that when it is abundant, they must 

 be content with limited supplies ; and, in many instances, they are reduced to cannibalism. 

 The gun has not entirely superseded the bow and arrow, principally on account of the 

 difficulty of procuring ammunition. Nearly every winter, a party of them journeys to 

 Fort Chimo, to barter their small catch of foxes, and the bags of feathers obtained from 

 the ptarmigan that they have subsisted upon. 



The dwellings of this people are not essentially different from those of their neigh- 

 bors ; the skin-tent and the snow-hut afford protection of a miserable character during the 

 seasons of summer and winter respectively. 



In their social relations they differ somewhat from their neighbors, owing partly to 

 their not associating with other Innuit. A man may have as many wives as he is able to 

 support, four being the greatest number ascertained. Incontinence on the part of the 

 woman is not rare, in fact laxity of morals is common : incest is known to be not un- 

 common ; infanticide is practiced when the mother believes herself incapable of nourishing 

 the new-born babe; instances of cannibalism are frequent when the parents are so 

 reduced as to slay their children, as often happens when the elders are driven by starva- 

 tion to another locality and, during the journey, they find no food. The wife may fall 

 a victim to her husband if she is not able to escape. Each of them coming in by difterent 



