64 



TRANSPORTATION. 



THE DOG-SLED (ko'matik) AND DOG DRIVING. 



The Labrador dog-sled looks very clumsy and heavy to one 

 accustomed to the light framework of the Alaskan sled, but the 

 Labrador Eskimo say that this heavy construction is necessary 

 to withstand the rugged country along the coast over which the 

 trail leads. The sides are solid pieces and very strong. Old 

 settlers told me of sleds that would bear a ton weight, or twenty- 

 four dressed caribou. A thousand pounds is a good load. 



The Labrador sled has no handles behind, like the Baffin 

 Island and Greenland sled, and is guided by the foot. It also 

 lacks a break, and is held back by a thong attached to one of the 

 rear cross-pieces. It is the simplest form found among the 

 Eskimo, and really consists of only three parts; the two sides, the 

 cross-pieces, and the shoes. The long, heavy, true native sled 

 is not met with until one gets north of Nain. South of that point 

 we get a civilized pattern, somewhat shorter and less wide. On 

 the east coast of Hudson bay, 18 inches is the regulation width. 

 It is an advantage to have a generally adopted width in following 

 a trail already broken. The Hudson's Bay Company sled in 

 use at the Labrador posts is modelled after the native pattern, 

 and is very substantial for travelling. The usual price of a 

 komatik is a dollar a foot. 



The two sides (wruynik, dual) are from 2 to 3 inches thick, 

 4 to 8 inches deep, and 10 to 24 feet long, according to locality. 

 The cross-pieces (ni'pu') are about 1 inch thick and from 3 to 6 

 inches wide. The length varies according to the width of the 

 sled, but is usually about 24 inches. The cross-pieces are placed 

 on the komatik sides at a distance apart of from 4 to 6 inches, 

 and extend two- thirds the length of the sled. They are notched 

 at the ends, which project over the runners at the sides, so that 

 the load may be lashed on. 



The cross-pieces are attached to the runners by rawhide 

 lashings (nu-pulut) which run through holes bored in the sides 

 (Plate XIII B). 



