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THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



The story of the pursuit of the sun by the moon is a legend widely 

 spread among the Eskimo people. The North Greenland Eskimo 

 believe, as do all other Innuits from Alaska to Labrador and Baffin Land, 

 that the sun was originally a woman, Sukh-eh-nukh, who in order to 

 escape the imfilial love of her brother, Ahn-ing-ah-neh, fled into the 

 heavens bearing a lighted torch. The l)rother also carrying a torch 

 pursued her and was transformed into the moon. It is believed that the 

 moon is forever in love with the sun and seeks ever to overtake her, but 

 that since his torch chanced to be a poor one and he is frequently com- 

 pelled to return to earth to relight it, the sim is enabled to keep well in 



Copyright 1908 by Frank WiUxrt Stukes. 



POLAR BEAR AT BAY. 



From the painting on the North Wall. 



advance. According to the myth, disaster would come if he should 

 succeed in catching her, for with his embrace would come the end of all 

 things. 



This legend of the sim and the moon has many v.ariations among the 

 Eskimo people and is sometimes termed the Sedna Cycle, Sedna also 

 signifying the sim. It is possible that we have here not only an allegory 

 of the great Arctic day and night, but also the proof that there has taken 

 root in Eskimo imagination the idea of man's search after the unattain- 

 able. 



