The Material Culture of the Eskimo in West Greenland. 217 



Fig. 51 shows a box, turned in wood, of European workman- 

 ship. It contains some glass beads, a brass clasp, and a pair of ear- 



Idcrrv. 



Fig. 51. Grave-find ; a turned box with 



screw lid, containing glass beads, brass 



clasps and tin ear-pendants. 



pendants of tin; the latter are made here. The rest are imported, 

 before the Danish colonisation of the country, most likely by Dutch 

 Whalers. Found in a woman's grave at Sarqaq. 



Lamps for burning blubber oil. 



The most important household article of the Eskimo is the lamp 

 for burning blubber oil. Without that, he would not be able to 

 live the life of the districts north of the forest-limit, or to endure 

 the cold of the Polar winter, and its long period of darkness. The 

 object of the lamp is to burn oil, obtained from blubber, by the 

 aid of a wick of moss, and by this combustion to illuminate and heat 

 the house or tent, to cook the meat and dry the clothes. As a 

 makeshift any tolerably fireproof, slightly excavated piece of stone, 

 etc. can be used, but soapstone (uçkussigsaq, material for a uvkusik, 

 a pot, 405) is particularly in demand, because it is absolutely 

 fireproof, tough and easily worked. Soapstone is also used for pots, 

 and it was therefore a necessity to the Eskimo so much so indeed 

 that he sometimes made journeys which lasted years, in order to 

 obtain it. 



Moreover, even where soapstone is plentiful, the Eskimo cannot 

 with his primitive tools, secure the pieces suitable to his purpose: 

 He must try to loosen the pieces that project among the harder 

 rocks. They are nearly always oblong, and as the largest and best 

 pieces are used for pots, these are consequently always oblong, very 

 often rectangular. Such a pot is most economically heated by a 

 straight flame, if that is possible, under the middle of the bottom. 

 Therefore attempts are made to shape the lamp so, that the side 

 intended for the wick, is straight. Moreover it is convenient, to have 



