i\i:i;\Mi:\|-. li".l 



II I lie 1 ici- p 



oi'ini <'(in:ililv. 



the surplus .,f niiy iiMlivi<iual <>y ((iHiiininily. i\\<;\ I, 

 wliicli liadiriuu or ciistdiii IimiI Mssi-nrd. \v;is mukIi' 

 liad l.'ss." At I'oint P.an-ow. lio«..vrr. llici.lr;M,r in 



lioiic hr. as already drs.-iih,.,!. .lividrd aiiioi 

 al tlicdcarli." lioohjr.-tioii is made t.i one ii 



lias the aus. r,,i liisuwu piivafe use. 



This has.-iv.ai rise t,, a re-iilar weallhy a 

 however, are not yet siirileieiitly tlitrereiil iat 



men of this class are the iimialiks. a word which appears in many <-or- 

 rii])ted rorins on the coast of Western America and is often supposeil 

 to mean •• cliief." I >r. Sim],soii ' says: - The clii.-f men are •■ailed O me 

 liks (wealthy)." but •• wealthy " is an explanation of tin- jiosit ion <»ftliese 

 men. ami not a translation of the title, which, as wo obtained it, is pre- 

 cisely the same as tlie (uceiiiand word for i^inirr nf <i bout, iimialik 

 (from uniia(/,), ;nid the terininatioii lik or li-n. This is ,me of the few 

 cases in whicli the linal /,■ is sounded at I'oinf I'.arn.w as in (lieenland). 



|)r. Kink has alrea<ly observed' that the word used by Simpson '-no 

 <loubl must b<- till' same as tlie ( Ireeiilamlisli umialik, si-nifyin- owner 

 of a boat," and as I heard the title more than one.' carefully i.rononnced 

 al i'oiiil Barrow it was the identical u ord. The umialiks. as Sinii.s.m 

 says.^ •■ have ac.piired their positimi 1)\ bciii- more thrifty and intelli- 

 -ent, better traders, and usually bettei' hunters, as well as physically 

 .stronger and more darin,-."' TJiey have acipiired a certain amount of 

 intlueiicc and respect from these reasons, as well as from their wealth, 

 which enables them to imrcliase the s.^vic's of others to man their 

 boats, but appear to have ai)sohitely no authority outside of their own 

 families,'' retrofif^ considers them as a s(ut of ■■ middlemen w sjiokes- 

 men." who unike themselves "prominent by suiierintendini;- all inter- 

 course and traflii' with visitors," 



This sort of proniineni'e, however, apjicars to have been conferred 

 upon them by the traders, who. i.<;noraiit of the very democratic state of 

 Eskimo society, naturally look tbr •• chiefs" to deal with. They pick out 

 the l>est h.okilig ami best dressed man in the viUa-e and endeavipr to 

 win his favor by giving him presents, receiving liim into the cabin, and 

 i'onducting all their dealings with the natives through him. The chief, 



'Op.<;it,1..272. 



<Oi..cit. 



'Compare wliat the Kriius.- I'.nillier,-) Miiy of the "chiefs 

 ter. vol. 5, pt. 1, p. 2'.i) . ■' Hi.- Aulmitiit, welche die ob. 

 iibell, ist wohlauf Rechniiiii; ilii . < ur e-s.ieli Besitzes zu si 

 Maim, ein'hig man.' 



