116 Morten P. Porsild. 



Owing to the fact that the Eskimo culture which has developed 

 in West Greenland was the earliest and most easy of access, that form 

 of it has been the first to come under investigation. Through the des- 

 criptions we have from the first missionaries, and especially through 

 Hans Egede's famous "Perlustration" with its numerous translations 

 and David Cranz's "Historie von Groenland" — written in a universally 

 current language — the leading features of this form of culture were 

 established and an interest in it created; and, thus, the culture of 

 the Eskimo of West Greenland has to a certain degree been the 

 standard and the basis for all subsequent studies in Eskimo culture. 



But these two authors gave only the leading features of the subject 

 in question, and in Cranz's work there are many errors and mistakes. 

 Later, the clergyman, naturalist and philologist. Otto Fabricius con- 

 tributed a series of notes on the material culture of the West Green- 

 landers, which, as regards accuracy and profound understanding, far 

 surpasses the works of his predecessors and of many later authors. 

 Fabricius's abilities were especially suited for this work; because, besides 

 his knowledge of natural science and of languages, he had, for the ac- 

 complishment of this work, the invaluable advantage of being himself 

 able to hunt in the Eskimo manner: to manage his kayak, and to 

 use the special Eskimo hunting weapons. Therefore, as regards this 

 point, no one has been able to distinguish, as he could, between what 

 was essential and what was incidental. 



Fabricius's works should therefore be the classic for every one 

 who studies this subject. That they have, unfortunately, not become 

 so is due to several circumstances, and, in particular, to the fact 

 that they are written in Danish and that they occur scattered, in the 

 form of numerous small treatises, and often even as unimportant sup- 

 plements to, or parts of, purely zoological works. They are, moreover, 

 very sparingly illustrated, and the drawings are not happy, being faulty 

 as regards measurements, etc.^ It is much to be wished that a com- 

 plete edition of all Fabricius's ethnological papers could be published 

 in a universally current language and illustrated with modern draw- 

 ings of the objects which he describes, large collections of which are 

 contained in the National Museum in Copenhagen. 



Since the days of Fabricius no thorough and original studies of 

 West Greenland implements are to hand. A good, popular description 

 of their main features is to be found in Rink's well-known book "De 



^ That Fabricius's works were also forgotten in Denmark at an early period 

 may be seen from the fact that G. C. Rafn, when writing a report of antiquities 

 given to what was afterwards the National Museum, based that report on the 

 works of Cranz, Parry, and several others without mentioning those of Fabri- 

 cius, and explains the implements illustrated by him quite incorrectly (Anti- 

 quarisk Tidsskrift, 1854). 



