110 



fortunate. Murder is committed only when jealousies, caused 

 by some love affair, awaken a man's passions, or brooding over 

 a perhaps unintended slight produces a sort of melancholia. 

 But after a man has once committed a murder, he becomes blood- 

 thirsty, and is apt to look for another victim, unless he is put 

 out of the way by the community. Most of these killings have a 

 psychological background. During the dark days of midwinter 

 when the polar winds are blowing, the Eskimo are unable to hunt. 

 They sit inside and gorge themselves with meat, and take little 

 exercise. The congested body reacts on the nervous system and 

 the usually amiable, good-natured native becomes sullen and 

 moody. His gloomy surroundings add to his mental depression. 

 He recalls old slights and grudges, and, in this abnormal con- 

 dition, these often assume exaggerated proportions. It is under 

 such conditions that most of the murders among them occur. 



The good nature and docility of the Eskimo have been 

 emphasized, and justly; but this does not preclude their com- 

 mitting as barbarous acts as any other savages, particularly 

 when they are subjected to conditions which are favourable to 

 the same. Many of their murders are extremely cold-blooded 

 and unprovoked. The victim is never given a fair chance, but 

 slain when off his guard. 



HEADMEN. 



The Norsemen spoke of the "kings" of the Skraelings, and 

 early writers (Hall and De Poincey) mentioned the peculiar dress 

 of their "chiefs." They probably refer to the costume of the 

 shaman with its special ornamentation. 



The Eskimo have never had any "chiefs" in the Indian 

 sense of the word. They have had leaders, great hunters or 

 enterprising shamans, who have been accorded their position by 

 general appreciation of their worth. But the office has never 

 carried any particular authority with it. 



In nearly every Eskimo village there is a headman, who 

 entertains strangers and transacts the village business with them, 

 but he has no authority outside his own family. The Alaskan 



