BOAsI TKADE AND INTERCOURSE. 465 



feared by the Aivillirniiut, tliougli intermarriages aud removals froui 

 one tribe to the other are not rare. No doubt tliey are less closely 

 related than are the neighboring tribes hitlierto mentioned. Unfortu- 

 nately, too little is known of the western tribes to admit of a decided 

 opinion whether or not there exists an impoi'tant difference in cus- 

 toms and habits. The Sinimiut, the Netchillirmiut, and the Ugju- 

 lirmiut may be comprised in one group, for they all hold frequent 

 intercourse with one another and the last two even inhabit the same 

 region at the present time. The change which the relations between 

 these tribes have undergone since 1833 has already been referred to, 

 as has their intercourse with the Ukusiksalirmiut. Schwatka (Sci- 

 ence, Vol. IV, p. 543) states that they occasionally meet the Oidneliq 

 of Coronation Bay, but that both tribes distrust each other. Our 

 knowledge about the migrations from North Devon to Ellesmere 

 Land and North Greenland is very scanty, but it is necessai-y to 

 mention its existence. 



Between tribes that are strangers to one another ceremonies of greet- 

 ing are customary which are not adapted to facilitate intercourse. 

 The ceremonies will be described further on (see p. GOO). For the 

 present it will be sufficient to say that duels, with varying details, are 

 common between a stranger and a man of the tribe, and these some- 

 times result in the death of the former. 



Among neighboring tribes these ceremonies are dispensed with, for 

 instance, between the Padlimiut and Oqomiut, Padlimiut and Akud- 

 nirmiut, while a Nugumio or an Akudnirmio unknown in Oqo has 

 there to go through the whole o'f the performance. The exception in 

 favor of the former tribes is doubtless due to the frequent intermar- 

 riages with those tribes, whereby a constant acquaintance is kept up. 



Real wars or fluids l»'f with scttli'iiicnts, I believe, have never liaj)- 

 pened, but contests li.ive ;il\\,i\s been confined to siiiL;le f^imilies. 

 The last instance (if a feud wliicli li;is come to my knowledge oci-urred 

 about seventy years ago. At that time a great number of Eskimo lived 

 at Niutang, in Kingnait Fjord, and many men of this settlement had 

 been nini-ilered by a. Qini;naini(i of Anarnitung. For this reason the 

 men iif Xiutann- iiiiiieil in a sledge journey to Anarnitung to revenge 

 the di'atli (if tlieii' eoiiipaiiidiis. They hid themselves behind tlie 

 ground ice and killed the returning hunter with their arrows. All 

 hostilities have probably been of a similar character. 



One tradition ( >nly refers to a real fight between the tribes. On the 

 steep isla 1 M 1 Sa-i 1 1 naijdjung, near Naujateling, ruins of huts are found 

 on the level summit. They are said to have been built by Eskimo 

 who lived by the seashore and were attacked by a hostile tribe of in- 

 landers. The tradition says that they defended themselves with bows 

 and ari'ows, and with bowlders which they rolled down upon the 

 enemy. The occurrence of hiits upon the top of an island is very 

 unusual, and this tradition is the only one referring to any kind of 

 fights or wars. Even the tradition of the expulsion of the Tornit a 

 G ETH 30 



