25-1 MARRIAGE. 



another woman to work up his peltry into coats for the next market ; 

 or his wife may he nursing, and cannot well perform all the duties 

 that usually devolve upon the mistress of a large establishment. 

 Under such circumstances he may take home as an additional help- 

 mate some elderly widow, and hoth parties will he benefited by the 

 arrangement. This is, however, not always the motive, and no little 

 jealousy is sometimes excited by the introduction of a younger and 

 better-looking woman to the establishment. The practice is, after all, 

 not very common, as only four men out of a population of near 290 

 at Point Barrow had each two wives. There were four also at Cape- 

 Smyth, where the population is smaller, and several at Point Hope. 

 At the latter place one was particularly mentioned as having no 

 less than five wives ; and although it is the only instance of polygamy 

 we heard of, it serves to show that custom has put no limit to the 

 number of wives a native of this country may have. 



The age at which the women are married is probably in general 

 fifteen to sixteen . They do not commonly bear children before 

 twenty ; and there is usually an interval of four years or more 

 between the births. They relate, apparently with little hope of 

 being believed, that some years ago a woman at Cape Smyth had 

 two children at one birth. For one woman to have borne seven 

 children is a rare case, and for five to live to maturity still more 

 rare. If any one in the ship were stated to be the ninth or tenth 

 child of one family it excited their astonishment, and if to this it 

 were added that seven or eight of them were still alive, they 

 became incredulous. A couple is seldom met with more than three 

 of a family, though inquiry may elicit the information that one or 

 several " sleep on the earth." From this, and the great care and in- 

 dulgence with which those of tender years are treated, it may be 

 inferred that the greatest mortality takes place under the fifth year, 

 but it does not appear that there is any particular form of disease 

 to which they are, before this age, peculiarly liable ; the condition 

 of the mother, however, according as the season is one of abundance 

 or scarcity, has by their own account a material influence on the 

 health of the offspring. During first pregnancy great solicitude has 

 been observed on the part of the husband for his wife, although 

 there is no reason to believe childbirth anything but easy. In the 

 particular instance alluded to, from the delicate appearance of the 

 woman it was fancied that every precaution was taken to guard 

 against premature labour, three cases of which came under notice in 

 the last winter. 



Previous to proceeding farther with the usages and occupations of 

 these people, it will be well to give some idea of their habitations. 



