The Material Culture of the Eskimo in West Greenland. 117 



danske Handelsdistrikter i Grønland." ^ Kayak-hunting and its imple- 

 ments are described by F. Nansen in his book "Eskimoliv", which con- 

 tains excellent illustrations. Lastly, G. Swenander has recently pub- 

 lished an exhaustive description of the harpoons, and lance and dart 

 points, which are to be found in the rich collections contained in the 

 Stockholm Museum. The work is especially valuable because its nu- 

 merous illustrations are perfect representations of these objects. W. 

 Thalbitzer has lately directed attention to, and illustrated, some in- 

 dividual West Greenland implements for comparison with those of East 

 Greenland. 



As regards the East Greenland implements the conditions are far 

 more favourable. Since the publication of G. Holm's classical, exhaus- 

 tive, richly and well illustrated description of the material culture of 

 the Angmagsalingmiut, almost every fragment and article from East- 

 Greenland, which has subsequently been found, has been described 

 and illustrated (by Ryder and Thalbitzer). 



On the other hand we still lack a thorough description of the kayak 

 with all its hundred and one individual parts, and its peculiarities of 

 construction. The alterations and new adaptations consequent on the 

 introduction of fire-arms have been loosely mentioned, but are described 

 for the first time in the following pages; and, what is very astonishing, 

 a kayak weapon commonly used in West Greenland is here mentioned for 

 the first time! And, strangely enough, another culminating point of 

 the creative ingenuity of Eskimo culture, the dog-sledge with its 

 appurtenances, harness, etc., has never been described from Greenland; 

 simply because the first missionaries wrote their books in South Green- 

 land where sledge culture does not occur. If we would seek information 

 in literature as regards the Eskimo dog-sledge, we must resort to Eng- 

 lish and American authors' descriptions of conditions in other tribes, 

 and that in spite of Danish officials in Greenland having themselves 

 used the dog-sledge for 200 years, and of their being fully able to compete 

 with the Eskimo in the use of it. 



Method of Investigation. 



Of late years no question has occupied the Eskimo-investigators 

 so much as the question regarding the origin of the Eskimo and the 

 routes along which they may have migrated. Anthropologists, linguists 

 and ethnologists have all been equally interested in its solution. During 

 latter years, authors, especially American authors, have brought together 

 large collections of a single kind of implement for monographic treatment. 



^ English edition: H. Rink: Danish Greenland, its People and its Products. 

 London, 1877. 



