Means of Conveyance. 



The Sledge. 



In such high latitudes the sledge is of course the principal 

 means of conveyance; its importance can be estimated from the 

 fact that at the corresponding degree of latitude on the west coast 

 of Greenland, at Smith Sound, from the discovery of this tribe 

 in 1818 to the Central Eskimo immigration in the sixties of the 

 19th century, it has been the only means of conveyance. Southwards 

 it becomes of less importance as compared with the kayak, and 

 on the west coast, the Arctic Circle forms its approximate southern 

 limit, while on the east coast it has been used considerably more 

 to the south, at any rate, at the place where Graah wintered, Nu- 

 narfik (Nunarbik), at about 63° 20' N. lat. whence he records that 

 the inhabitants travelled in sledges southwards to visit their rela- 

 tives;^ but it is possible that it has been employed as far as the 

 southern limit of the country-^. 



The Danmark Expedition did not find any large parts of sledges, 

 but they nevertheless contribute some information to our knowledge 

 of the North-east Greenland sledge. 



Of objects belonging to sledges, sledge shoes are in the majo- 

 rity. As is common in places where iron is not easily accessible, 

 the runners are shod with pieces of bone. About 50 specimens were 

 discovered of which 10 came from the isolated northern find on 

 Eskimonæsset, and 24 from the sea coast of Germania Land of 

 which 20 are from Syttenkilometernæsset; the rest were found on 

 the north coast of Dove Bugt. 



1 Graah I, p. 115; II, p. 112. 



^ In 1880 G. Holm was informed that at 60° 30' dog-sledges were used for ice- 

 hunting (Medd. om Grønl., VI, 68); this is cited in English in Thalbitzer II, 

 p. 341. As regards the previous use of tlie dog-sledge in the districts of Juliane- 

 haab, see Birket Smith I, pp. 14 et seq., published after this was written. 



