MI-HOOCH.] WHALING. 273 



family, as the crews do not enter &amp;lt;m their duties till the whaling actually 

 commences. The crews are regularly organized for the season, anil are 

 made up during the winter and early spring. They consist of eight or 

 ten persons to each boat, including the captain, who is always the 

 owner of the boat, and sits in the stern and steers, using a larger pad 

 dle than the rest, and the harpooner, who occupies the bow. When a 

 bombgun is carried it is intrusted to a third man, who sits in the 

 waist of the boat, and whose duty it is to shoot the whale whenever he 

 sees a favorable opportunity, whether it has been harpooned or not. 

 The rest are simply paddlers. 



When used for whaling, the umiak is propelled by paddles alone, 

 sails and oars never being even taken on board. Men are preferred for 

 the whaling crews when enough can be secured, otherwise the vacancies 

 are filled by women, who make efficient paddlers. Some iimialiks hire 

 their crews, paying them a stipulated price in tobacco and other arti 

 cles, and providing them with food during the season. Others ship 

 men on shares. We did not learn the exact proportions of these shares 

 in any case. They appear to concern the whalebone alone, as all seem 

 to be entitled to as much of the flesh and blubber as they can cut off 

 in the general scramble. At this season exploring parties are (Hit every 

 day examining the state of the ice to ascertain when the pack is likely 

 to break away from the landfloe, and also to find the best path for the 

 umiaks through the hummocks. 



In 1882 the condition of the ice was such that the boats could be 

 taken out directly from Utkiavwln, by a somewhat winding path, to the 

 edge of the land ttoe about five or six miles from the shore. This path 

 was marked out by the seal-hunters during the winter, and some of the 

 natives spent their leisure time widening and improving it, knocking 

 off projecting points of ice with picks and whale spades, and filling up 

 the worst of the inequalities. Much of the path, however, was exceed - 

 inglv rough and difficult when it was considered finished. In 188. } 

 the laud floe was so rough and wide abreast of the village that no 

 practicable path could be made, so all the whalemen with their families 

 moved up to Ime kpuii and encamped in tents as already described 

 (see p. 84) for the season. From this point a tolerably straight and 

 easy path was made out to the edge of the land floe. The natives in 

 formed me as early as April 1 that it would be necessary for them to 

 move ii]) to Ime kpun, adding that the ice abreast of the village was 

 very heavy and would move only when warm weather came. This pre 

 diction was correct, as the season of 188. } was so late that no ships 

 reached the station until August 1. 



About the middle of April the natives begin anxiously to expect an 

 east or southeast wind (nigyo) to drive off the pack and open the leads, 

 and should it not speedily blow from that quarter recourse is had to 

 supernatural means to bring it. A party of men go out and sit in a 

 semicircle facing the sea on the village cliff, while one man in the mid- 

 it ETH 18 



