X 
44 H. P. STEENSBY. 
enough. With its characteristic skin-boats, its individual missile- 
weapons, and its whole coastal character, the Eskimo culture was 
easily distinguishable, whether met with in the most north-west parts 
of the Atlantic Ocean or the northernmost part of the Pacific: and its 
aloofness from that of the neighbouring folk is marked by an equally 
distinct stamp of individuality. As will be seen from the following des- 
cription of types, there are, however, several cultural nuances within the 
Eskimo culture, and some of these present themselves under conditions 
which only an anthropogeographical treatment can satisfactorily explain. 
As regards language the Eskimo are conspicuous among their 
surroundings by a similar stamp of individuality and a similar homo- 
geneity. The philologist, G. Kiernscumipt, pointed out that the 
languages in Greenland and! ‘Labrador were “less different than, for 
instance, Danish and Swedish or Dutch and Hamburg Low-German.” 
It is to be regretted that no actual philologist has had occasion 
personally to compare the Eskimo languages in Greenland and La- 
brador with those spoken furthest west in Alaska, but there is 
sufficient evidence that the differences are not so great that the 
Eskimo from the easternmost regions would not quickly learn to. 
understand those from the westernmost regions. 
The Danish philologist, W. THaLBirzeR, who is one of those who 
have most recently treated these questions, writing about the languages. 
from two places so far apart as the east coast of Greenland (Ang- 
magssalik) and the Asiatic side of Bering Strait says “there exists a 
difference of dialect about equivalent to the difference between two 
related languages (like English and German). The transitions from 
dialect to dialect seem to take place on the whole steadily and 
gradually in the interjacent districts,...”.' As regards the indep- 
endence of the Eskimo language, he writes in the same place that it 
“constitutes an indepedent family of languages. No one has as yet. 
succeeded in finding any language either in Asia or among the American 
Indians which might possibly have been originally related to it.” 
In this connection, however, it should be remarked even here 
that there are two peoples which, while culturally exhibiting the 
Eskimo characteristics, differ linguistically. They are the so-called coast 
Chukches in northern Asia (who should not be confused with the- 
Asiatic Eskimo). These coast Chukches speak Chukche, and are a 
branch of the Chukches, but have adopted the Eskimo economic 
culture, Then there are the Aleuts, called after the islands on which 
they live, or, strictly speaking, the original inhabitants of the Aleutian 
Islands, who live in the same way as their neighbours, the Eskimo. 
of South Alaska, but who, linguistically, are decidedly apart from 
them. 
«M. o. G., Vol. 31, p. 45. 
