Ethnographic Description of the Eskimo Settlements 



201 



which presumably have served as fixed depots for the booty. They 

 often have a considerable size and strength (fig. 8); but on the other 

 hand, I also include here the small structures, which could at most 

 contain a hare, perhaps only a bird (cf. for example, Baadskæret), 

 and have thus possibly not been intended for storing the meat, but 

 rather to hide something or another, bone materials, small things 

 and such like; it is not uncommon also to find pieces of wood ^ and 

 the like, things of value to the Eskimos, in the large, permanent 

 meat-depots. Several had a great resemblance to the receptacles found 

 at graves, for the preservation of the utensils of the dead, but were 

 situated at places where no graves occurred. 



The temporary meat-stores (fig. 9) are the loosely built heaps of 



Fig. 10. Fire-place 101. Syttenkilometernæsset. 

 (Drawing by the Greenlander Tobias G.\nRn;Lsi;N). 



stones, constructed probably by the Eskimo as the first resting place 

 for his booty. He then surrounded it with stones, placed quite close 

 to it, and then piled up the stones until it was covered as well as 

 the time, locality etc. required and permitted. They have only been 

 intended, I believe, to ensure the safety of one particular capture 

 against animals, until it could be removed, and have hardly been 

 used constantly. 



The meat stores were found on the tent places and winter settle- 

 ments, as also at occasional places along the coast, off' which the 

 hunting has been carried on. Fox-traps were often found in the 

 neighbourhood. In one case (534 and 535) a quite small, permanent 

 store was situated so close to a fox-trap, that there is reason to con- 

 sider that the rotten meat it contained was intended to act as an 

 enticement for the foxes. 



1 Cf. Amdrup 1: p. Уо. 



XLIV. 1Ö 



