279 



first half of the 18'^ century. R. Stein \ who made a special 

 investigation of the extent of the original geographical know- 

 ledge of the tribe, came to the result, that it extended so far 

 to the south as even to include Upernivik, whereas to the 

 north it only went a little beyond the more restricted home- 

 district of the race (a little beyond 79° N. L.). 



it is, in fact, an enormous extent of land and sea which 

 this handful of people , counting little more than 200 indivi- 

 duals, must toil over in order to procure for themselves what 

 is necessary for the maintenance and security of life. It is a 

 tract of 6 — 800 km. Towards the land its extension is of 

 course limited by the inland ice, which for the Eskimo is sur- 

 rounded by superstitious dread and mystery. Journeys over the 

 glaciers are however by no means unknown. It happens, that 

 open water off a projecting promontory must be avoided by 

 driving over the glacier-covered land with the dog-sledges. 

 And two sledge-routes pass over the marginal zone of the 

 inland ice in going to the principal reindeer district in Olriks 

 Fjord. The one goes from the settlement at Netschilivik up 

 towards the most northerly of the glaciers, which open on to 

 Barden Bay, and further in an easterly direction on the inland 

 ice. The other leads from North Star Bay up the valley, which 

 is the eastern continuation of the bay in towards the land, and 

 up on the inland ice; thereafter the route bends in a northerly 

 direction and leads towards the inner part of Olriks Fjord. 

 Both of these glacier-routes are used in the autumn, before 

 the long, river-like Olriks Fjord with its strong current is 

 frozen over, and even before the ice-free foreland is suitable 

 for sledging, so that the baggage must be carried up to the 

 margin of the glacier. 



All the wanderings and journeys of the Eskimos are made 

 by sledge, as the period of open water is so short; and it is 



' H. .stein: GeograpliiscJie NomeiK-latur bei den Eskimos des Smilh-Sundes. 

 Peteimanns MiUeilungen 190Л 



