48 rilK POINT HAKROW ESKIMO. 



lahivt wcaiins- Kskiiiio. thosc.nainfly. of the AikIctsoii Kiv.t and Cape 

 I'.atliuist. That tli.'V aiv m.t coiisid.-icil by the Ta,-iMv,inriit as bcloiig- 

 iiij;- to the same "trilK"" with thciiisi'lvcs is evident from the names 

 Iva.ninalit ami K<-asnialiveit. applied to them by Petitot. Sir John Rich- 

 anlson, the first white man to eueounter them (in 1826), say.s that they 

 ealled themselves "Kitte-garroe-oot,'" atul the Point Barrow people 

 told Dr. Simpson of country callea "Kit-te-ga'-ru" beyond the Mac- 

 l<('iizie.' These people, as well as the Ta/)eo/>nieut, whom they closely 

 nscnibh'. are described in Petitofs Monographic, and brief notices of 

 tliciii arc given by Sir Jolm Richardson,' McChire,^ Arin.strong,^ and 

 IIooper.'= Tlie arts and industries of tliese people from the :\Iackenzie 

 to the Anderson, esjiccially the hitter region, are well represented in 

 the National Museum by the collections of Messrs. Kennicott, Ross, and 

 :\ra( Farlane. The Point Barrow pe(.])le say that the Kupiinminu are 

 "bad;"' but notwithstanding this small ])arties ft'oui the two villages 

 occasionally travel east to the Mackenzie, and spend the winter at 

 tlie Kuininmiun village, whence they visit the "great house," returning 

 the following season. Such a party left Point Barrow June 15, 1882, 

 declaring their intention of going all the way to the Mackenzie. They 

 returned .\ugnst -•"> or 2(i, 1883, when we were in the nddst of the con- 

 tusion of closing the station, so that we learned no details of their jour- 

 ney. A letter with which they were intrusted to be forwarded to the 

 United States through the Mackenzie River posts reached the Chief 

 Signal OfBcer in the summer of 1883 by way of the Rampart House, on 

 the Porcupine River, whence we received an answer by tlie bearer ft-om 

 tlie factor in charge. The Eskimo probably sent the letter to the Ram- 

 part House by the Indians who visit that post. 



The intercourse between these people is purely commercial. I )r. Simp- 

 son, in the paper so often quoted, gives an excellent detailed description 

 of the course of tliis trade, wluch agTees in the main with our observa- 

 tions, though we did not learn the particulars of time and distance as 

 accurately as he did. There have been some imiiortant changes, how- 

 ever, since his time. A small party, peiliaps ti\cMii six tamilio.of -Nu- 

 nataiimiun" now come every summer to I'oint iiairow atioiit the end of 

 July, or as soon as the shallow bays along shore are open. They estab- 

 lish themselves at the summer camping ground at Pernyi?, at the south- 

 west corner of Elsou Bay, and stay two or three weeks, trading with the 

 natives and the ships, dancing, and shooting ducks. The eastward -bound 

 parties seem to start a little earUer than formerly (July 7, 1853, July 

 3, 1854," June 18, 1882, and June 29, 1883). From all accounts their rela- 



' Franklin, 2d Exp., p. 203. 



'Ibii!., p. 269. 



' Franklin. 2d Exp., pp. 193, 203 iind 230; Se.irchinf; Exp., .-lud Polar Ef^'ions, y. 300. 



-about t hv tnrbnk- 



