The Material Culture of the Eskimo in West Greenland. 139* 



arise every time stormy weather makes rents in the otherwise continuous 

 covering of sea-ice, so that a narrower or broader belt of firm ice is 

 formed along the shore. But it is especially when the ice has become old 

 and thick, so that it is difficult for the seal {Phoca foetida) to keep its 

 breathing holes open, that it resorts to such channels. That is to say, 

 spring time is most favourable for this kind of hunting, and the conditions 

 are mostly found at those settlements which face the open sea. Nor- 

 mally the conditions are not found within the fjords, here ofo/e-hunting 

 is practised, but during spring the ice-edge moves further towards land 

 «very stormy day. Sinaliarneq is employed in the capture of not only 

 Phoca foetida, but also Phoca barbata, walrus. White Whale and Narwhal. 



When hunting at the ice-edge is being carried on, netting is suspen- 

 ded. Partly because it is too insecure to use nets, and partly because 

 the hunting gives too small returns, as the seals now live in the openings 

 in the ice ; besides, the thick ice makes it difficult to look to the nets. 



For hunting at the ice-edge the kayak can rarely be dispensed with. 

 It is only rarely that the hunter goes out into the openings in the ice 

 to pursue kayak-hunting with harpoon and float, but the kayak is neces- 

 sary to cross the open places and the cracks, and to fetch the animal shot, 

 etc. The hunter carries the kayak on his head to the edge of the ice. 

 Such a man is called maqigtoq, 195. Or, if he has dogs and sledge and 

 the ice is not too closely packed, he drives the kayak to the ice-edge. 



As it often happens that the edge of the ice is blocked up with a 

 regular range of loose floes of larger and smaller size which are often 

 piled up into huge, irregular heaps, courage, cleverness and experience 

 are here necessary in order to be able to make one's way and to convey 

 the fragile kayak, and accidents frequently occur. Often the catch is 

 so valuable, and the conditions of transport so bad, that the hunter 

 must refrain from carrying the whole animal with him, and be content 

 to take the skin and the blubber which can be realized for cash. 



A hunter who hunts at the edge of the ice is called sinâliartoq from 

 the verb sinaliorpoq, 327. 



5. Hunting in Ice-fjords. 



In fjords where the in-land ice pushes out to sea as calving glaciers, 

 the conditions are suitable for quite a similar mode of hunting. By 

 the continuous breaking off and falling down of the end of the glacier 

 a channel is kept open here, while the remaining and outer part of the 

 fjord may very well be covered with firm ice for a longer period. As 

 there are excellent conditions of life for molluscs and fishes in front of 

 such a glacier the place is also frequented by seals, which resort to the 

 channel in front of the glacier instead of making breathing holes. It 

 is natural that the ice here is very much packed, and the danger of mak- 

 ing one's way is increased by the ever threatening edge of the glacier, 

 which, by constantly breaking off and fafling down, causes general 



