434 



ESKIMO 



[b. a. e. 



kimo tribe, the Ugalakniiut, has prac- 

 tically become Tlinjiit throutrh intermar- 

 riage. The name Eskimo (in tlio form 



SUKUUK, A KINUGUMIUT ESKIMO OF ALASKA. (nELSOn) 



Excomminquois) seems to have been first 

 given by Biard in 1611. It is said to come 

 from the Abnaki EsquiiiKintsic, or from 

 Ashkimeq, the Chippewa eqnivalent, sig- 

 nifying 'eaters of raw flesh.' They call 

 themselves Innit, meaning 'people.' The 

 Eskimo constitute jihysically a distinct 

 type. They are of medium stature, l)ut 

 possess uncommon strength and endur- 

 ance; their skin is light brownish yel- 

 low with a ruddy tintontheexposed jiarts; 

 their hands and feet are small and well 

 formed; their eyes, like those of other 

 American tribes, have a Mongoloid char- 

 acter, which circumstance has induced 

 many ethnographers to class them with 

 the Asiatic peoples. They are character- 

 ized by very broad faces and narrow, high 

 noses; their heads are also exceptionally 

 high. This type is most marked among 

 the tribes e. of INIackenzie r. In disposi- 

 tion the Eskimo may bedescribed as peace- 

 able, cheerful, truthful, and honest, but 

 exceptionally loose in sexual morality. 



The Eskimo have permanent settle- 

 ments, conveniently situated for marking 

 certain hunting and fishing grounds. In 

 summer they hunt caribou, musk-oxen, 

 and various birds; in winterthey live prin- 

 cipally on sea mammals, particularly the 

 seal. Although their houses differ with 

 the region, they conform in the main to 

 three types: In summer, when they 



travel, they occupy tents of deer or seal 

 skins stretched on poles. Their winter 

 dwellings are made either in shallow ex- 

 cavations covered with turf and earth laid 

 upon a framework of wood or whale ribs, 

 or they are built of snow. Their clothing 

 is of skins, and their personal adorn- 

 ments are few. Among most tribes, how- 

 ever, the women tattoo their faces, and 

 some Alaskan tribes wear studs in open- 

 ings through their cheeks. Considering 

 their degree of culture, the Eskimo are 

 excellent draftsmen and carvers, their de- 

 signs usually consisting either of simple 

 linear incisions or of animal forms exe- 

 cuted with much life and freedom. The 

 people about Bering strait make some use 

 of paints. 



There has always been extensive inter- 

 tribal communication. The Eskimo have 

 an excej)tional knowledge of the geogra- 

 phy of their country. Poetry and music 

 l^lay an important part in their life, espe- 

 cially in connection with their religious 

 observances. 



The Eskimauan social organization is 

 exceedingly loose. In general the village 

 is the largest unit, although persons in- 

 habiting a certain geographical area have 

 sometimes taken the name of that area as 

 a more general designation, and it is often 

 convenient for the ethnographer to make 



kerlungner, a kinugumiut eskimo woman of alaska, 

 (nelson) 



a more extended use of this native cus- 

 tom. In matters of government each set- 

 tlement is entirely independent, and the 



