Ethnographic Description of the Eskimo Settlements 337 



in order to escape their pursuers. It seems possible to conclude that 

 this period corresponded with the best period of the Eskimos' whale 

 fishing at the coast, and — comparing this with the discoveries — 

 it was the second-last group of Eskimos, or the one before the most 

 recent, which then occupied the land.^ 



Regarding the period for the oldest settlement of the Eskimos 

 in this district, I believe that this goes so far back, that our know- 

 ledge of the ice-conditions and of the distribution of the marine 

 mammals at that time is extremely small. Regarding the presence of 

 the land mammals in the aforesaid time we know, nevertheless, that 

 the musk-ox has lived here, as we have found the bones in the 

 sand-buried, permanent meat-depots at Sælsøen and like other expe- 

 ditions^ we have also found very old, quite fossilized skulls of the 

 musk-ox. 



In connection with the above-mentioned I may cite Fridtjof 

 Nansen:"' 



"Voj^age to Baffins Bay 1267. Regarding the voyage about 1267 it is 

 said by Bjørn Jonsson (taken from "Hauks Bog" according to his statement, 

 but not to be found there now): "This summer (that is 1266) as Arnold tlie 

 priest was crossing from Greenland, and they were wrecked on Iceland at Hi- 

 tarnæs, pieces of wood were found out in the sea, which had been shaped by 

 small axes or adzes (Jjexlum), and among these was one piece in which was 

 found wedges of teeth or bone." — As these pieces of drift-wood must liave been 

 transported Ьз' the East Greenland polar current, this would seem to indi- 

 cate that there were already Eskimos on the east coast of Greenland at that 

 time. As it is noted as something remarkable, these pieces of wood with 

 wedges of teeth or bone, could not have originated from the ancient Scan- 

 dinavians either on Iceland or Greenland. The shaping of the wood by means 

 of "small axes ' or "adzes" (Eskimo weapons) has seemed foreign." 



Further it may be remarked that a flint-scraper of considerably 

 older type than the other apparatus found was discovered near the 

 very old winter-houses 521. 



Regarding the period of the most recent occupation by the 

 Eskimos, I may mention that Mylius-Erichsen estimated, that 

 about 50 years must have passed since the Eskimos had last lived 

 here (p, 290). Such an estimate rests naturally to a great extent 

 on individual opinion; but I may add, that on this point I hold 

 the same belief as Mylius-Erichsen and am even inclined to 



1 Whilst touching upon the European whale fishing here, I таз' just remark that 

 the journals of the old whale fishers might possibl3' be able to give us some 

 information on тапз' points of importance for judging of the natural conditions 

 under which the natives of North-East Greenland have lived in those еаНз^ 

 times, and especially regarding the second last period of occupation. - Cf. 

 Nathorst: pp. 144—45, 257 and Kolthoff: p. 27. » cf. Fridtjof Nansen: 

 pp. 234—35 and Note (cf. Hauks Bog. Grønl. hist. Mind. Ill, pp. 238—41 (cf. 

 p. 244)). 



