456 THE CENTRAL ESKIMO. 



traveled slowly south, hunting seals. They knew the coast as far as 

 Bellot Strait and were able to name every cape of this district. A 

 few families who had wintered in company with this party at Cape 

 Victoria had returned to Netchillik \\ luu the other parties started 

 north (p. 25;3). On the 4:th of Ma>-. t\vciit\- di-serted snow huts were 

 found on the southwest point of ilatty Island (p. 25?). From the 

 direction of the sledge tracks, M'Clintock concluded that the natives 

 who had formerly lived here had gone to Netchillik. On the 7th of 

 May a settlement of 30 or 40 individuals was found on the eastern 

 coast of King William Land (p. 260). This party had not connnu- 

 nicated with the villages on the mainland of Boothia since the pre- 

 ceding fall (p. 260.) 



An interesting change in the territory which is inhabited by tliis 

 tribe has occurred since Ross's visit to this country. In order to de- 

 scribe it more fully. I must refer to the relations of the Netchillir- 

 vaiut to the Ugjulirmiut. At this early period the intercourse be- 

 tween the tribes of Ugjulik and Netchillik was of little consequence. 

 No European had ever been in their districts, which inchided Ade- 

 laide Peninsula and the southern shore of King William Land 

 (Ross II, p. 317), but quite a number of persons were known to the 

 Netchillirmiut (p. 357), who had met them in their trading excur- 

 sions. In addition to this, a young single man of Ugjulik had been 

 adopted by a Netchillirmio who lived on the eastern coast of King 

 William Land and on Owutta Island (p. 355). When the Franklin 

 expedition perished on King William Land, in 1848. the Netchillir- 

 miut had not yet visited that part of the country. From Schwatka's 

 inquiries we learn that the tribe that found Crozier and his fellow 

 sufferers did not extend its migrations beyond Adelaide Peninsula 

 and the southern shore of King William Land. In the summer of 

 1848 they attempted in vain to cross Simpson Strait, and were com- 

 pelled to stay on the island. They traveled all over the country as 

 far as Peel Inlet. .>p].usit,- to Matty Island (Gildt-r. p. 91). Hence 

 it is obvioiisthat the Xctcliiilirniint. up to llic 1 inic of the Franklin 

 catastrophe, livi'il in tlicii-nlil territory, as tin.' inhabitants of Boothia 

 in 1859 had only indirect news of the shipwreck. 



When the Ugjulirmiut obtained an enormous stock of metals and 

 wood by the destruction of Franklin's ships, the Netchillirmiut com- 

 menced to visit King William Land, in order to partake also of these 

 riches. Thus they began, by degrees, to move westward, and became 

 intermingled with the Ugjulirmiut. Hall mentions quite a number 

 of Boothians who had met Ross on the eastern shore of the istlinius, 

 though they were living on King William Land at that time (Hall II, 

 p. 405). Besides, according to all accounts, the number of women is 

 much smaller among the Netchillirmiut than that of men, and these 

 are obliged to look for wives among the neighboring tribes, particu- 

 larly among the Ugjulirmiut. As these do not differ in the fashion 



