REPORT OF THE ROYAL COMMISSION 



Musk Ox {Ovibos moschatus) 



Victoria Island — 



Captain Bernard says that the last musk-oxen were killed on southeastern 

 Victoria island in 1914-15. Eskimos who had recently obtained guns were 

 chasing a polar bear north of Taylor island, Victoria strait, found musk-oxen 

 and killed some. The next year they went back and killed every musk-ox, some 

 on the mainland, and others on what Bernard thought to be Gateshead island. 

 He had been some distance up the coast with some of those natives, and they 

 had stated that this island was only two or three days' travel farther. 



Captain Bernard says that the Eskimos are killing no musk-oxen on 

 the Kent peninsula because none are left. There are no musk-oxen near the 

 coast of Adelaide peninsula, south of King William island. The natives east of 

 the Natchillingmiut (King William island) have been supplied with knives and 

 iron for many years, beyond the memory of the oldest inhabitants. Also, many 

 of them have had guns for a long time. They have been supplied from Hudson 

 bay along the Arctic coast, through the Aiwillikmiuts. This is the common 

 trade route from east to west. Practically nothing goes over land, via Ark-i- 

 linik and Backs river, to Victoria island, as Stefansson imagined. The Ekalluktok 

 river also empties into Wellington bay, north side of Coronation gulf, instead of 

 into Albert Edward bay on southwest end of Victoria island, as Stefansson sup- 

 posed. 



Bernard says that dried musk-ox meat is tasteless; natives told him that 

 meat of some old bulls is too strong to eat. Says "you can imagine what it 

 would be if natives say that." 



Bernard thinks there are still a few musk-oxen on the mainland east of 

 Tree river and south of Arctic sound. The natives bring in a few fresh skins. 

 At the time he came back from the east in 1919, neither he nor the natives knew 

 that trade in musk-ox skins was illegal. With the new habits of the Eskimos 

 of the region, that is, going inland to trap and hunt in winter, well supplied with 

 rifles and ammunition, the musk-oxen will soon be killed off in that region. 



(The Eskimos in that region told me in 1911 that they seldom killed 

 musk-oxen, because they were afraid to attack them with bow and arrows; 

 also that they never hunted inland in winter. All the musk-oxen at that time 

 were found incidentally when on the summer caribou hunts, and were generally 

 stray bulls, as the Esquimaux did not care to attack herds. — R. M. A.) 



76 



