THE SOCIAL LIFE OF THE ESKIMO 31 



stakes are articles of clothing, weapons, and food. 

 Several summer games are played with a ball of 

 deerskin, which is thrown among players, who keep 

 it in motion by means of whips or blows from the 

 hand, the object frequently being to prevent the 

 ball from touching the ground ; meanwhile various 

 merry little songs are sung. Toy sledges, kayaks, 

 bows, and dolls are very popular with the children, 

 who soon make a wooden figure clad in a little pair 

 of deerskin trousers, which are a good imitation of 

 the clothing of their own parents. 



Winter, during which all bays and inlets are 

 frozen, is a good time for visiting friends, because a 

 sledge journey over the ice is a very easy means 

 of travelling many miles. A journey of 100 miles 

 is not uncommon, and when so great a distance 

 has been accomplished, the visitors make a long 

 stay of almost a year, though it is understood that 

 they must help readily with all the hunting and 

 domestic work. During the great war &quot; communal 

 kitchens &quot; were established in many places, and it 

 is thought that by having one central cooking- 

 place there is a great saving in food, fuel, and 

 labour. The Eskimo have a similar arrangement 

 in their summer encampment, where each family 

 in turn will take a whole day, during which they are 

 responsible for the collection of fuel and the cooking 

 of food for the whole encampment. When the 

 meal is prepared, the master of the duty household 

 shouts &quot; Ujo ! Ujo ! &quot; (boiled meat), and the hungry 

 Eskimo emerge from their huts, each man carrying 

 a large knife with which he cuts a portion for his 

 f amity. 



