Implements and Artefacts of the North-east Greenlanders. 481 



number, from Tingmiarmiut (61^2°) did not leave the East Coast 

 until 1899.^ In all probability, the Angmagsalik Eskimos would 

 have done likewise, leaving the coast entirely uninhabited, had not 

 the movement been artificially checked by the establishment of a 

 trading station at Angmagsalik in 1894. Through the agency of these 

 neighbours, who made long journeys down to the southern point of 

 the land, and, encountering there the Greenlanders of the West Coast, 

 brought back with them European products, especially iron. West 

 Greenland and Europe were brought indirectly into contact with the 

 Eskimo of Angmagsalik. Nor were these insensible to the new in- 

 fluence. Thus when Holm discovered Angmagsalik in 1884, several 

 women's knives of the West Greenland type were already in use 

 there. We may even note a quite remarkable tendency to learn 

 anything new, as evidenced, for instance, by the fact that their umiaks 

 are built on the dovetail principle, whereas in West Greenland lash- 

 ings are still used; their women, also, have latterly evinced parti- 

 ality to the European skirt, an awkward article of dress which has 

 not found favour on the West Coast, albeit this region was colonised 

 at a far earher date. And it is beyond doubt, that the form of head- 

 gear shaped like a sailor's cap ^ is of European origin. 



There is thus evidence enough of external influence: from the 

 south, and the more southerly West Coast districts.^ Even the pecu- 

 liar style of ornamentation, consisting of bone laid on to wood, is 

 found in West Greenland; it has, however, in Angmagsalik, devel- 

 oped to a remarkable degree and with a local stamp. of its own, just 

 as the European cap has there been transformed to a graceful fash- 

 ion of headdress suited to the conditions of the place. 



The clear and distinctive traits apparent in the culture of Ang- 

 magsalik are thus not due to isolation or insensibility to external 

 influence, but should, in my opinion, rather be ascribed to the fact 

 that we have here a receptive population Hving in a region just suf- 

 ficiently sequestered from the outside world to permit of their ab- 

 sorbing what may be brought within their reach, adapting it to 

 their particular needs, and giving it a stamp of their own. 



If now we proceed to consider the implements from North-east 

 Greenland in comparison with those from Angmagsalik, it must be 

 admitted that the points of resemblance are, as soon as we pass 

 beyond what is common to Greenland generally, or to the Eskimo 



» Meldorf, p. 23, cf. p. 21. The few items preserved in the National Museum 

 from these last inhabitants of South-east Greenland agree with those of the 

 Eskimos from Angmagsalik. 



2 Thalbitzer II, p. 589 and 591. Fig. 314-315. 



* Birket-Smith I, p. 20 et seqq. 



