206 H. P. STEENSBY. 
to be a necessary result of the mode of living and the anthropogeogra- 
phical conditions. The following of the migrations of the herds of ani- 
mals had necessarily to lead the Eskimo to the sea coast and out 
across the sea ice. 
Ås was pointed out in the preceding pages, one must presume that this, 
the rise of the Palæeskimo culture through geographical new adaptation, 
took place in the Arctic Archipelago or, more correctly, at the coasts : 
and indentations between the continent and the islands, which means, 
firstly, along the district from Coronation Gulf to the Melville Peninsula. 
It is reasonable to suppose that again, among these areas, on account 
of its position, it was Coronation Gulf, or rather the regions between the 
continent and Victoria Land which were first reached by the Eskimo 
and which played a principal råle in the new adaptation. 
It might be asked whether the pre-Eskimo advance towards the 
north, to the tundra and the Archipelago, took place voluntarily or 
was due to pressure from southern neighbours. One will probably never 
be able to decide the question. But here it is to be strongly emphasized 
that life at the Arctic sea coast, far from indicating a step backwards, 
in reality indicated a step forward as regards economy, inasmuch as, 
in addition to the hunting of terrestrial mammals and summer fishing 
in the fresh waters which was already known, the practice of hunting 
aquatic mammals was acquired as compensation for the ice fishing on 
lakes and streams. The contrast between this fishing on the ice of lakes, 
which was only resorted to in times of need, and the sea ice hunting of 
seals gives a kind of standard of progress. One can then very well ima- 
gine that no pressure has been necessary, but that the pre-Eskimo have 
been tempted out to the coasts of the Arctic Ocean by natural condi- 
tions. 
When the Palæeskimo culture had once been formed it naturally 
spread spontaneously west, east and north along coasts and coast waters, 
across the districts which offered the geographical conditions which it 
required, and to which especially pertamed smooth winter ice with 
seals and the occurrence of musk ox and reindeer, or at any rate one 
of these two hunting animals in abundance. 
This Palæeskimo distribution must have taken place evenly, or 
must have developed by degrees as a slow growth across the countries. 
Only small groups of a few families have by degrees ventured further 
and further away. As regards their nature even these Palæeskimo mi- 
grations must correspond with the later wanderings which I have men- 
tioned elsewheret, and with regard to which I pointed out that they 
must specially have been connected with the domains where the musk 
ox has or had its distribution. 
It must be assumed that even the Palæeskimo must have made 
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