The American Museum Journal 



VuLi-MK will .MAK'cii. litis Nr.Mi'.KK ;; 



Food Supply of the Smith Sound Eskimos' 



A sroKV OF I'ln.MITIVK IJl'H .M A 1 NTA 1NKI> ON '11 1 K XATIKAL 



KHSOl'R("KS OF A FK'o/FN ARCTK" FAND AND SFA 



I'.y l> () N A F 1) F.. .M A (' .M I F F A X 



Illustrations I'loni iiliotuirraiilis h\ tin' Aullmi- 



A .MOST l)fii(';itli llif MTV shadow cicrs. and nn into t lie cariljou and uiusk 



of tlu- Xoi-tli Folc li\(' tlir Smitli o\ lldds : Ici n> >it witli the uiollicr and 



Sound l"]skinio>. 1 he iiio-i nocih- cliildi-cii upon liic lied plalforni. — l»c- 



orn jii'o|i|i' in llic world, I'lir away fi-oni conic one ol' tliuni. 



tlio jrrcat strn,ir«flo of nations. Today The iniimte subdivisions of time re- 

 while We are en,i:a,i:('d in a Worhl War \cal the energy, the fcr\(ir. the aiiilji- 

 and are tryin.i;' to solve |irohleiiis of tioii. the |)rot,n'ess, and the |iroiliict ive- 

 food and. fuel shortage, they, in their iicss of civilization. There are no -|)lii 

 warm rock huts heiieath turf, gi'uss. seconds from Cape York lo i']lah. no 

 skins, and snow, are sin.ii:ing the htng miinitcs. oi- hours, or days of the week, 

 dark niglit away, and talking of the Time mils majestically on without reg- 

 white man in tlu' south who has gone ister. no trains to catch, no whistle to 

 '' jn-liJ oil-Ill" (run amuck). The naked hlow. no ciirl'cu> to ring. The Ivskinio 

 eliihl on the l)ed ])latrorni is sucking a takes his time. ""Why hurry through 

 frozen ('^^is: the mother is ripping the life when life is too short as it is?"" an 

 skin from the body of a frozen dovekie; old man (pieried of nu", as I impatiently 

 the fatlier liold.s in one luind a pieee of kicked my toes against my sledge, 

 raw bear meat, in the other, pure fat — There is. liowever, a cei-tain definite 

 I)n'ad and huttei' to an F.-kimo. time to which all l-]>kimos look forward 



Conservation of food >up]ilies is llie with unguarded e.\|ire»ioiis of pleasure. 



predominant topic of the day. not It i^ the -iibject of coii\er>ation loi- 



alone in o\ir eounti'y but throughout the weeks in advance. The long dark night 



world, so far-reaching is the great war has given way to eoiitinual sunshine: 



in its etfect-. The Kskimo at the top the snow is melting on southern slopes; 



of the world dot's not dream as yet thai watei- is dripping from bergs; ])ools of 



a prolonged world struggle might affect watei' are found in the hollows of rocks; 



his welfare .seriously. How could it? linally the time comes when the blue 



He clothes himself in skins, and eats a of the sky is scanned eagerly day after 



]>ui-elv meat iliet — this he lia> done for day. and then i-csounds through every 



centuries without the jielp <d' while village the glail cry. "The little auks 



man. are liere I"" 



T.et us review the year's work of the The ai-riv.il of this biril marks the 



Eskimo people: follow the hunter out transition i'roni winter to summer, 



over the drifting ])aek ice, up over gla- From now on it is one long feast. 



' Articli- 1111(1 illustriitioiis copvrigliti'd, 191H, b.v Doii.'iM li. Ma.Millnii 



IGl 



