SEASONS. TIME. 2fil 



IV. „ Dec. 30, Au-lak'-to-win, departing (to hunt the 

 reindeer). 



V. 1854, Jan. 28. Ir'-ra shu'-ga-run sha-ke-nat'-si-a, great 



cold (and) new snn. 

 VI. „ Feb. 27, E-sek-si-la' wing. 



VII. ,, Mar. 28, Kat-tet-a'-wak, returning for whale (from 

 hunting ground). 

 VIII. „ April 27, Ka-wait-p/v'-i-en, birds arrive. 

 IX. „ May 26, Ka-wai-a-niv'-i-en, birds hatched. 

 X. „ June 25, Ka-wai'-lan pa-yan-ra'-wi-en, (young) birds 

 fledged. 

 XI. ,, July 25, A-mi-rak'-si-win. 

 XII. „ Aug. 23, It-ko-wak'-to-win. 



As the new moon of September falls on the 21st of the month, it 

 will require an early setting-in of the winter to make that the first 

 moon of the next year. 



For denoting time they also have expressions equivalent to yes- 

 terday, to-day, to-morrow, morning, afternoon, evening, &c, but 

 these are not by any means precise ; and in speaking of events a 

 year or more past, they use two terms, ai-pa'-ne, which seems 

 properly to mean two years ago (ai'-pa, two), but may be as readily 

 applied to twenty ; and al-ra'-ne, in the olden time, which is exceed- 

 ingly indefinite. They have frequently declared that they keep 

 no account of the years as they roll, and " never number them, as 

 they do not write like us," so that it is next to impossible to get any- 

 thing like exact dates from them. In describing the direction of 

 any distant place they are equally vague, using the term a-wa'-ne, 

 westward, or along the coast towards Icy Cape or Point Hope ; 

 ka-wa'-ne, eastward, or towards the Colville or Mackenzie rivers ; 

 pa-ne, south, or landward ; and u-na'-ne, north or seaward. 



The seasons, as mentioned above, seem to guide them almost V. 

 instinctively in their different occupations ; and it will not perhaps 

 be amiss to enumerate the principal ones which employ their time 

 throughout the year. 



In the month of September they have almost all assembled at 

 the winter huts, amongst which they pitch their seal-skin tents, 

 living in them in preference to the yet damp underground ig-lu's, 

 and are constantly on the look-out for whales, killing also a few 

 walrus, bears, and seals, until the winter has fairly set in, and the 

 sea become shut up with ice, which generally takes placo about 

 the middle of October. During this time most of the women 

 remain in comparative idleness at home, "as it is not good for them 

 to sew while the men are out in the boats ;" but so soon are these uro 



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