450 THE CENTRA I, ESKIMO. 



It yet remains to describe the roads which are used in the intercourse 

 between tliese settlements. From Pikiulaq to Nuvung the natives 

 travel by means of sledges. In the wiiiter of 18G4-"G5 two journeys 

 were made, the first in DccchiIht. llie latter in January. Be.sides, 

 boats are used in traveliiii^- :il<iiin' tlir shore in summer. Sledge jour- 

 neys from Nuvung to Ulcusiksalik cannot be accomplished on the 

 ice, as in the entrance of the bay large water holes are formed. The 

 sledges follow a chain of long, narrow lakes beginning near Nuvung 

 and running almost parallel with the coast through a deep gorge. 

 The bay is but a sIk.iI disiaiicn beyond this gorge. I am not ac- 

 quainted with the slt'dgu road from Nuvung to Aivillik. Rae was 

 visited at Fort Hope by a number of Eskimo, who came by sledges 

 from Nuvung in June (I, p. 109). Hall traveled with the natives in 

 boats, passing the narrows and fdllmviug the ed^v nf the land ice, 

 while the rest of the families sle(li;e(l cui the slioiv ..r on the land ice 

 (II, p. 177). The principal i-oad aen.ss Rae Isthmus lea. Is over North 

 Pole Lake and is described by Rae and Hall. The latter accompanied 

 the natives on two sledge roads, the one leading from Sagdlua, in 

 Haviland Bay, to Qariaq, in Lyon Inlet, the other crossing the land 

 farther south. I am not sure whether a road leading from Nebarvik 

 to Committee Bay connects Maluksilaq with Akugdlit. It is doubt- 

 ful whether the coast between Aivillik and Gore Bay is visited by 

 the natives. 



It is remarkable that the Aivillirmiut very rarely go to Southamp- 

 ton Island,- though they are sometimes carried across Frozen Strait 

 or Rowe's Welcome by drifting ice. Scarcely ever of their own accord 

 do they visit the island, which they call Sagdlirn. They know that it 

 is inhabited, but have very little intercourse with its people. 



The Kinipetu or Agutit. — The reports upon the Kinipetu or 

 Agutit of Chesterfield Inlet are verj'' scanty as compared with those 

 of the beforementioned tribe. All aiithors agree that they differ 

 materially in their habits f i-( mi the Aivillirmiut, and it has often been 

 affirmed that they scarcely evei' descend to the sea. As there is. 

 however, no other tribi' meutioiied south of the Aivillirmiut besides 

 this one and as in every voyage to these shores, even far south of 

 Chesterfield Inlet, Eskimo are met with who frequently visit Fort 

 Churchill, the most northern station of the Hudson Bay Company, 

 there can be no doulif that I hey a Isc . \ isit the shore and the islands and 

 hunt seals. Probably the gi-i'atei' ]iart of the tribe live inland from 

 July to March, hunting deer and the musk ox, and in winter only 

 descend to the sea in order to procure blubber and sealskins during 

 the season in which these are most easily obtained. It may be that 

 another part stay near the head of Chesterfield Inlet all the year 

 round or remain in the hilly country between the deep gulf and Back 

 River hunting the musk ox. According to all reports, they are rather 

 independent of the hunt of sea animals, and they do not even use their 



