148 Report of the Bromn-H award Expedition. 



it would seem, when one considers the few solicitations to 

 thought and ingenuity in their environment; but their intelli- 

 gence is combined naturally with a great deal of superstition. 

 They are easily led, and their special character and actions 

 depend much on the nature of their leader. Yet they rarely 

 have any sort of government, but live together in tribal amity 

 with no chief or ruler unless one temporarily arises by virtue 

 of his own unusual gifts of wealth or wit. Where their primi- 

 tive ideas are not weeded out by the missionaries, however, 

 they are largely in subjection to their medicine men or sor- 

 cerers. 



Where missionary influences prevail the marital relations 

 of the Eskimos are of the conventional civilized type, and 

 their sexual morality is of a high order. But further north 

 they vary much, each doing much as he likes and can. One 

 man may have three or four wives ; and at least one case is 

 known where two men have one wife in common. 



The life of the Eskimos is one of hunting and fishing. 

 They live principally on a meat diet, consisting chiefly of seal, 

 whale, caribou, and fish. Berries are almost their only natu- 

 ral vegetable food, though now they obtain also flour and 

 bread wnth considerable ease. Formerly they did little cook- 

 ing, but now the introduction of civilized kettles makes it 

 easier. They place their main reliance on the seal, and it 

 is hard to imagine how they could continue to get along 

 without it. It gives them food, dog meat, clothing, boots, 

 tents, dog traces, and harpoon lines, fuel for light and heat. 

 They have little in the way of implements and possessions 

 except such as are needed for their hunting and fishing, for 

 clothing, shelter, and food. Once they lived very crudely, 

 with no implements except of stone, of bone, and of skins, 



