ESKIMOS 133 



the Eskimos capturing seven and killing thirteen ; the captives 

 were sent south to the land of the Iroquois in what is now New 

 York State. 



In 1770-72, Samuel Hearne accompanied a band of Chippew- 

 yan Indians on a journey from Churchill to the mouth of the 

 Coppermine river. These Indians were only induced to go to 

 the Arctic coast on the chance of killing Eskimos. This they 

 did, by surprising a band busily engaged in fishing at the first 

 fall above the mouth of the river, massacring them all. 



This warfare appears to have continued until the Eskimos 

 obtained firearms, when, the conditions becoming equal, the 

 Indians soon found that the pleasure of the Eskimo chase did 

 not compensate for the danger incurred, and, for many years 

 past, active hostilities have ceased, though the two races are still 

 unfriendly, and rarely, or never, intermarry. 



Scattered over such a wide area of country, with such poor 

 means of communication, it naturally follows that the Eskimo 

 race is broken up into a number of tribes, distinguished by dif- 

 ference in dialect, and by slight differences in manners and 

 customs. But these are so surprisingly few, considering the 

 conditions, that an Eskimo from the Atlantic coast has no diffi- 

 culty in conversing with the natives of the west coast of Hudson 

 bay, or with those of Greenland. Their religious beliefs and 

 ceremonies are also wonderfully alike everywhere, and only 

 minor differences are to be seen in their sleds, boats, tents and 

 implements of the chase, these being largely due to the materials 

 used. In fact so close are the essential resemblances that a 

 description of the language, manners and customs of any tribe 

 requires only slight modifications to suit those of the other 

 tribes. 



DISTRIBUTION AND NUMBERS OF THE CENTRAL ESKIMOS. 



Dr. Franz Boas, who has devoted much attention to the stud;y 

 of the Eskimos, has named those of the eastern half of the con- 



