144 HUNTERS OF THE GREAT NORTH 



with their silks, photographs, chewing gum and whatever 

 else they had bought from the traders, Ovayuak would 

 already have tons of fish laid up. 



When the trading season was over, all the Eskimos 

 would fish energetically each in the location which he had 

 picked out that year (for they seldom keep the same lo- 

 cation more than one season at a time). But with the 

 best efforts few of them secured even half as much as 

 they needed, for their late start had handicapped them 

 too much. Ovayuak told me it was his great pride that 

 in midwinter or towards spring when these people came 

 to the end of their food supply, they would always say 

 to each other, "Let us go to Ovayuak; he will have food 

 if anybody has." 



This was the main reason that gave him influence 

 among his ov/n people. It would never have occurred to 

 him to refuse food to any one; in fact, it seemed to him 

 that they had as much right to his fish as he had himself, 

 for his people are communists and that is the way they 

 look upon things. He never s^id to any one, "You must 

 take orders from me if I am to give you food." Neither 

 did he ever issue orders. The fact was, however, that if 

 it was known he wanted anything done, everybody was 

 eager to do it for him. Though he had no formal or le 

 power, he had the respect and good will of every one so 

 fully that it amounted to the most absolute power. 



Ovayuak's fishing hole and mine were only a few feet 

 apart. The wind naturally changed from day to day 

 and each morning he would build a semi-circular wall of 

 snow about five feet high to shelter us against the wind. 

 Dressed in our furs we sat very comfortably and talked. 

 Really it was he who did most of the talking, for I in- 



