Introduction. 



DURING two hundred years Eskimo antiquities have been collected in 

 Danish West Greenland, and yet, they are still to be found wherever 

 the old site of a house exists, and in every grave not previously examined. 

 The Greenlanders of our own time collect them when they come across 

 them and bring them to the Europeans for sale. But only rarely do 

 they search for them, and, to look for them, especially in old graves, 

 is not considered to be an entirely respectable means of livelihood; 

 hence the reason why graves are rarely stated to be the place of dis- 

 covery. "I found them in the ground" is generally the first answer one 

 receives. 



Since I have settled down among the Greenlanders I have procured 

 a small collection in this way. I myself have found only a very few of 

 the objects; and, as my real field of work lies in another department, 

 I have never had time to make excavations personally. For some of 

 the objects I am indebted to the resident Danes, more especially 

 to Mr. С Fleischer, Qeqertaq; Mr. 0. Mathiesen, Ritenbenk, the 

 superintendent of the settlement; and to the Rev. H.Mortensen, 

 Godhavn. 



Usually, the finder had full knowledge of what he found; and in 

 doubtful cases I have consulted others, for instance a great many Green- 

 landers, who have helped me with articles difficult to explain. In this 

 respect I am more particularly indebted to the native head-catechist and 

 hunter, Mr. G. Kleist of Godhavn, for the excellent help he has given me 

 as regards the explanation of the objects and of their correct Greenland 

 names; and also for some drawings illustrating old modes of hunting. 

 All the implements, and even all the details of them have old, fixed 

 and long established names, which are often interesting enough in them- 

 selves, but become even more so from the fact that they often recur 

 in tribes which are now separated from each other by vast distances. 

 Some of the most essential of these words are already found grouped 

 in C. Ryberg's "Dansk-Grønlandsk Tolk," Kjøbenhavn, 1891; others 

 I have found in S. Kleinschmidt's "Den Grønlandske Ordbog," Kjø- 

 benhavn, 1871, or in its supplement (in Kjer & Rasmussen's "Dansk- 

 grønlandsk Ordbog," Kjøbenhavn, 1893). 



10* 



