460 THE CENTRAL ESKIMO. 



and therefore a brief mention of them will not be inappropriate. The 

 inhabitants of Umingman Nuna (Ellesmere Laud) probably live on 

 the southern shore, near the western part of Jones Sound, and, accord- 

 ing to Bessels's and my own inquiries, they travel all around this 

 island, passing by Hayes Sound. 



The North Greenlanders. — The North Greenlanders live in the 

 sounds of the peninsula between Melville Bay and Kane Basin, hunt- 

 ing seals on the smooth floes of the bays and pursuing walrus at the 

 floe edges. They make large deposits of the blubber and meat ob- 

 tained in the fall, on which they live diiring the winter. They also 

 piirsue seals in winter with the harpoon. In summer they hunt rein- 

 deer on the mountains adjoining the inland ice. 



INFLUENCE OF GEOGRAPHICAL CONDITIONS UPON THE DISTRI- 

 BUTION OF THE SETTLEMENTS. 



In considering the distribution of the tribes it is evident that they 

 are settled wherever extensive floe's afford a good sealing ground dur- 

 ing the winter. The Sikosuilarmiut live on the large bay east of 

 King Cape, which is sheltered by numerous islands. The Akuliar- 

 miut are settled near Lesseps and North Bays. I am unable to say 

 whetherthere is a floe ncai- tin- winter settlement of the Qaiiiiiaiiang- 

 miut, astherearenoreiiurts updii lliesiili.jei-t. Piolialily ice is fdnned 

 in the sound, which is protected hy tiie iliddle Sa\-age Islamls. and 

 besides it may be that the natives move to North Bay. The important 

 tribe of Nugumiut lives on Frobisher Bay and the adjoining Grinnell 

 and Field Bays. On the largest floe of this part of the country, in 

 Cumberland Sound, including Lake Nettilling, the largest tribe is 

 settled ; the Oqomiut. On Davis Strait ice floes are formed betw-een 

 Cape Mickleham and Cape Mercy, in Exeter Sound, and between 

 Okan and Bylot Island. The tribes are distributed accordingly : the 

 Saumingmiut of Ukiadliving, the inhabitants of Qarmaqdjuin with 

 their winter settlement in Exeter Sound, and the Padlimiut and the 

 Akudnirmiut farther noi'th. The immense land floe of Davis Strait 

 is not so valuable a hunting ground for the Eskimo as Ciimberland 

 Sound, the ice being very rough a few miles from the coast and at 

 some places even close inshore. When the sea begins to freeze in 

 the fall the newly formed ice is broken up by severe gales and by the 

 currents and is piled up into high hummocks before it consolidates. 

 The sealing on rough ice during the winter is very difficult and un- 

 successful, as it is hard to find the breathing holes and the traveling- 

 is very laborious. It is only in the northern parts of Home Bay and 

 in the large fjords that smooth ice is formed. The settlements of the 

 natives are manifestly distributed in accordance with these facts. In 

 every place where smooth ice is foi'raed we find tliat natives either 

 are settled or have been settled. Aqbirtijung, River Clyde, Ijellir- 



