lli; POINT ISAKUdW ESKIMO. 



iiiKhiiit. and miiirs chietiy in the suasou of open 

 lured IVoui tlic iiiiiiai< with harpoon aud rifle, but 

 uiid ill the winter, as two were killed at breathing 



alms occuisoiily diuing the seasouof open water, 

 raptured iKiiii the umiak with the large harpoon 

 uii iHiats usually timl a few, especially late in the 

 .si'isi>n and atler the trading parties have gone in the suinuier the 

 iiaVi\cs who remain are generally out in the boats a good deal of the 

 time li>okiug for walrus and seals. As a general thing walrus are espe- 

 eially plenty in Seiileinber, when nuieh loose ice is moving backwards 

 and forwards with tlie curreut, freqiu'iitly sleejiing iii large herds upon 

 eakes of ice. Tin' boats, which are out iiearl\ e\'ei y da\ at this season 

 with vnlunleer eivws, not regularly organized as for whahiig, paddle 

 as near as tliev < an to these sleephig iierds and try to shoot them in 

 the hi'ad. aiiniiii; also to "fasten" to as many as they can with the har- 

 iiooii and float as ilie> hurry into the water. A harpooned walrus is 

 followed up with the boat and shot with the rifle when a chance is 

 ottered. Swimiuiug \valrus«'s are chased with the boat aud "fastened 

 to'' bv darting the harpoon. When a walrus is killed it is towed up to 

 the nearest cake of ice and eut up on the spot. We never knew of the 

 kaiak being- used in walins-hunting, as is the custom among the eastern 

 Eskimo. 



Till' ir'i(tli:—T\H' pursuit of the"bowheail" whale (Baheiia mysticetus), 

 so valuable not only t\n- the food furnished by its flesh and "blackskin" 

 and the oil from its blubber, but ibr tlic whalebone, which serves so' 

 many useful purposes in the arts of the Kskimo and is besides the 

 chief article ot trade with the ships, is carried on with great regularity 

 and tbiinalit.N. In the tir.st place all the umialiks (boat-owners) orthose 

 who are to be the captains of whaling umiaks, before the deer hunters 

 .start out in .lannary. bring all the gear to be used in the whale fishery 

 to the kfi'ilyigi. where it is ciiiisecrated by a ceremony consisting of 

 (111 iiiug aud singing, perlia|is partaking of the nature of an incan- 

 tation. 



(apt. Ilereiideen was the only one of our party who wtnessed this 

 ceremony, which took place at Utkiavwm on January 9, 1883, and he 

 did not bring back a detailed account of the proceedings. During 

 part of the ceremony all the umialiks were seated in a row upon the 

 floor, aud a woman passed down the line marking each across the face 

 with an oblique streak of blacklead. As soon as the deer hunters re- 

 turn in the spring the\ begin getting ready for the whales, covering 

 the boats, fitting lines to liar] ns, and i.utting gear of all suits in per- 

 fect order. Kvery article to lie used in whaling — hari ns, lances, pad- 

 dles, and even the timbers of the boats — must be scraped perfectly 

 clean.' This work is generally done by the umialik himself aud his 



' Couipari- Egcilu. Creeulaud, p. 102. Tlie whale " cau't bear sloven aud dirty habits." 



