270 THE POINT BAKKOW ESKIMO. 



the netting, which i.s the most important fishery of the year, but which 

 can be prosecuted with success only in the darkest nights. The natives 

 say that even a bright aurora interferes with the netting. At this sea 

 son narrow leads of open water are often formed parallel to the shore, and 

 frequently remain open for several days. The natives are constantly 

 reeonnoitering the ice in search of such leads, and when one is found 

 nearly all the men in the village go out to it with their nets. A place 

 is sought where the ice is tolerably level and not too thick for about a 

 hundred yards back from the lead, at which distance the nets are set, 

 often a number of them close together, in the manner already described, 

 so that they hang like curtains under the ice, parallel to the edge of the 

 open water. When darkness conies on the hunters begin to rattle on 

 the ice with their ice picks, scratch with the seal call, or make some 

 other gentle and continuous noise, which soon excites the curiosity of 

 the seals that are swimming about in the open lead. One at length 

 dives under the ice and swims in the direction of the sound, which of 

 course leads him directly into the net, where he is entangled. 



On favorable nights a great many^eals are captured in this way. 

 For instance, on the night of December 2, 1882, the uetters from Utkiav- 

 wiu alone took at least one hundred seals. Such lucky hauls are not 

 common, however. As the weather at this season is often excessively 

 cold, the seals freeze stiff soon after they are taken from the net, and if 

 sufficient snow has fallen they are stacked up by sticking their hind 

 flippers in the snow. This keeps them from being covered up and lost 

 if the snow begins to drift. I have counted thirty seals, the property 

 of one native, piled up in this way into a single stack. The women and 

 children go out at their convenience with dog sleds and bring in the 

 seals. A woman, however, who is at work on deerskin clothing must 

 not touch a hand to the seals or the sled on which they are loaded, but 

 may lend a hand at hauling on the drag line. When the seals are 

 brought to the edge of the beach they must not be taken on laud till 

 each has been given a mouthful of fresh water. We did not learn the 

 object of this practice, but Xordenskiold, who observed a similar custom 

 at Pitlekaj, was informed that it was to keep the leads from closing. 1 



When the lead keeps open for several days, or there is a prospect of 

 its opening again, the hunter leaves his gear out on the ice, sometimes 

 bringing his ice pick, scoop, and setting pole part way home and sticking 

 them iij) in the snow alongside of the path. In 1884 a lead remained 

 open for several days about 3 or 4 miles from the village, and the 

 natives made a regular beaten trail out to it. When we visited the net 

 ting ground the lead had closed, but nearly all the men had left their 

 gear sticking up near it, with the nets tied up and hung upon the ice 

 picks. They had built little walls of snow slabs as a protection against 

 the wind. The season for this netting ends with the January gales, 

 which close the leads permanently. 



1 Vega, vol. 2, p. 130. Compare the custom observed in Baffin Laud, ol sprinkling a few (Imps of 

 water on tlio head of the seal before it is cut up, mentioned by Hall, Arctic Researches, p. 573. 



