440 THE CENTRAL ESKIMO. 



difficult overland route cross to tlie southern shore of Exeter Sound. 

 Much of the time the ice and snow near Udlimaulitelliug make the 

 route almost impassable in that direction. If, therefore, this route 

 is impracticable or that through Touaqdjuaq is too difficult on ac- 

 count of the absence of snow, the journey is postponed until late 

 in spring, when the hummocks begin to be leveled off and the snow 

 becomes harder as it settles; then the I'ough ice can be passed, and 

 after reaching Ituatukan, a fjord near Cape Walsingham, the Eskimo 

 ascend it, so as to avoid the cape, which is always washed by water. 

 If snow and ice are in a siiitable condition the passage by way of Itu- 

 atukan is always preferred. 



From Exeter Sound Kangertlukdjuaq, in Padli Fjord, may be 

 reached by a pass of short extent; but the snow is always so deep 

 here that the passage cannot be effected iintil June. The peninsulas 

 between Padli Fjord and Exeter Sound, which have no ice foot, can 

 be crossed by narrow isthmuses near the head of the bays. 



Before leaving Cumberland Sound and its inhabitants, the Oqomiut, 

 altogether, I wish to add a few remarks on the whale fishery, which 

 the Eskimo formerly carried on in their bulky skin boats. They pur- 

 sued the monstrous animal in all waters with their imperfect weap- 

 ons, for a single- capture su^Dplied them with food and fuel for a, 

 long time. I do not know with certainty whether the natives used 

 to bring their boats to the floe edge in the spring in order to await 

 the arrival of the whales, as the Scotch and American whalers do 

 nowadays, or whether the animals were caught only in summer. On 

 Davis Strait the Padlimiut and the Akudnirmiut used to erect their 

 tents in June near the iloe edge, whence they went whaling, sending^ 

 the meat, blubber, and whalebone to the main settlement. In Cum- 

 berland Sound whales were caught in all the fjords, particularly in 

 Kingnait, Issortuqdjuaq, and the narrow channels of the west shore. 

 Therefore the Eskimo could live in the fjords diiring the winter, as 

 the provisidiis laid up in the fall lasted until spring. If, therefore, 

 thex-e is a ]m'|vi.]iI ililc diminution in the supply of their food it is due 

 to the fact that tin.' whale fishery has been abandoned by them or 

 rather has been yielded up to Europeans and Americans. It is not 

 probable, however, that a sixfficient number of whales were ever 

 caught to support the entire ]Hipulation during the whole of the 

 winter. The wlialiiiL;- i< still kfpt up T)y the Eskimo of Hudson 

 Strait and Hudson Bay. though only to a limited extent, owing to the 

 visits of whaling ships and the establishment of whaling stations. 



The Padlimiut and ilic Akudnirmiut. — The next tribes to be de- 

 scribed are the Padlimiut and the Akudnirmiut. but this may be done 

 very briefly, as the nature of this region is similar to that of Saumia. 

 A peculiarity of the Akudnirmiut is their more decided migratory 

 character as compared with the Oqomiut. They do not spend every 

 winter at the same place, as we observed that the Oqomiut do, but 



