109 



to an Eskimo. If he becomes morose and commits a murder, 

 the men of the village get together and wait an opportunity to 

 kill him. No concealment is made of the act, and it is not open 

 to the usual blood revenge, being considered justifiable. 



In case of an ordinary murder, it is the duty of the next of 

 kin to avenge it. Sometimes this act is delayed for many years, 

 as in the case of a man leaving a small boy, who waits until he is 

 old enough to avenge his parent. But the duty is never for- 

 gotten. In the meantime the murderer may be treated by the 

 relatives of the deceased as if nothing had happened : a situation 

 which is unthinkable to us, but which does not conflict at all 

 with Eskimo ideas. 



In the meantime the murderer is constantly on the watch for 

 the avenger. He never knows when a knife will be thrust into 

 him or when he may be shot or speared from behind. His eyes 

 acquire a shifty look, which the Eskimo say is the mark of a 

 murderer. Sometimes the avengers come to his own house, as 

 in one case which came to my attention, and are treated as usual 

 guests, until the day of reckoning comes. 



Generally speaking, murder is looked upon with horror by 

 the Eskimo, and the spot where such a deed has been committed is 

 shunned. But they do not scruple at taking life, when they feel 

 justified by hard conditions or customs. Aged people who have 

 outlived their usefulness and whose life is a burden both to 

 themselves and their relatives are put to death by stabbing or 

 strangulation. This is customarily done at the request of the 

 individual concerned, but not always so. Aged people who are 

 a hindrance on the trail are abandoned. Deformed children 

 who exhibit some monstrosity which arouses the supernatural 

 fears of the Eskimo are strangled at birth. Those who die a 

 violent death are compensated by being translated to the highest 

 heaven, which is located in Aurora Borealis. Here they spend 

 their time with other shades of like fate, playing foot-ball with 

 a walrus head. 



Under ordinary conditions the Eskimo live together in the 

 greatest amity. In times of plenty they feast together, and in 

 times of want the lucky hunters share their game with the less 



