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An Anthropogeographical Study of the Origin of the Eskimo Culture. 121 
fences from the valleys in the’ districts at the south side of Coronation Gulf, 
where they were made of piled-up turf. 
The first English travellers did not take any great interest in the 
Eskimo population. At the mouth of the Coppermine River and in Dease 
Strait, however, they came in closer contact with them. There they got 
the impression that linguistically they were, if anything, approximate to the 
East Eskimo, and that they differ from the West Eskimo in cultural 
respects, also, by not wearing lip ornaments. A more exact definition of 
the different tribes in the district was, however, only commenced by 
Streransson. But this is less essential in this connection. Here, the main 
point is that Coronation Gulf with its smooth covering of winter ice from 
October till the end of June makes communication between all islands and 
coasts reciprocally easy, whereby this becomes an absolutely habitable 
domain, which is bounded on all sides by land or ice-packed seas. How 
many Eskimo this domain with its smaller neighbouring territories on the 
east and west coast of Victoria Island harbours is not known with any 
certainty; but, according to the Eskimo conditions, the number can hardly 
be insignificant. Smmpson estimates that those who, during the summer, 
visit the coast between the west end of Coronation Gulf and Cape Barrow 
number 3—400, and Coxiinson was visited by 2—300 at his winter 
quarters in Dease Strait. 
As to the hunting implements of these Eskimo, Harner says that 
they are like those which Cranz describes from Greenland, and he saw, as 
did later Stimpson, Cottinson and Mc. CLurz, implements which were made 
of copper. The implements which these travellers brought home are now 
to be found in the British Museum in London, and the copper material 
plays rather a prominent réle, especially in the arrow points. Furthermore, 
some fish-hooks, woman’s knives, axes, ice-chisels, as also numerous spear- 
heads are of copper. On the other hand, there seem to be no harpoon 
heads of copper and there is not a single article of copper from the 
Mackenzie or Netchillik Eskimo from which we may be justified in concluding 
that the copper, which must have come from the Bloody Fall pits at 
Coppermine River, neither at all nor even sparingly got beyond the Coro- 
nation Gulf territory. 
Umiaks are entirely absent with these Eskimo. On the other hand, 
they have kayaks, which here are said to be smaller than those at Bering 
Strait and Hudson Bay. 
All the groups which Smpson met on the south side of Coronation 
Gulf were found to spend the winter out in the Gulf on the sea ice, or on 
the islands where there was easy access to the seal hunting, which, in the 
winter and spring, was their principal means of subsistence. Until well into 
the winter they live on supplies of reindeer meat and fish, which they have 
put by in the course of the summer. If for some reason or other the seal 
hunting fails in the spring, great distress supervenes, which Rak found to 
be the case in 1849. In the spring they generally kill so many seals that 
