Ethnological Sketch of the Angmagsalik Eskimo. 67 



Although there are 114 women to every 100 men ^), practically 

 all women marry. We only know one instance of an elderly un- 

 married girl, who, however, had a couple of children. It is not 

 considered a shame for an unmarried girl to have children; on the 

 other hand a fully grown married woman who is unable to bear 

 children is a subject for reproach. The average number of children 

 that each woman bears — reckoning only those which survive — 

 seems to be about three or four; but seven or eight children are 

 by no means uncommon. We came across several instances of 

 twins. 



The wedding itself is conducted without ceremony. A young 

 man must sometimes make the father a payment in the shape of 

 a harpoon or something similar for the privilege of marrying his 

 pretty daughter; and, vice-versa, skilful hunters often receive some- 

 thing from the fathers for marrying their daughters. A girl is 

 compelled to marry, if her father desires it; she often pretends to 

 be reluctant, although she is really quite willing, and is therefore 

 often taken by force. 



It is by no means a rare occurrence for a man to carry off 

 another man's wife; this takes place occasionally at the instigation 

 of her family, their motive being that she may obtain a husband 

 who is better able to support her. Thus Papik, a skilful and 

 esteemed hunter, coveted Pataak's young wife; he repaired to the 

 place where the young couple lived, taking with him an empty 

 kaiak. He landed, went up on shore, and, without more ado, fetched 

 the wife from the tent, and carried her to the shore, where he 

 made her step into the empty kaiak, and rowed off with her. 

 Patuak, who was a younger man than Papik and was no match for 

 him in skill and strength, had to put up with the loss of his wife. 



In the southern part of the East coast of Greenland the proportion between 

 men and women was very unfavourable. At an inhabited place called Imar- 

 sivik (63°22' latitude N.) there were twenty-one natives, onh' five of which 

 were males, Avhile the rest was females, of course mostl}^ children. The fathers 

 accordingly train up their daughters to hunt seals from the kaiak. A girl of 

 about twent}' possessed a kaiak, and Avas an accomplished hunter. She was 

 the only child of a man who was a dwarf. A few days before we arrived 

 she had caught a ringed seal and two bearded seals. She is also very skilled 

 at hunting on the ice. Another girl, the daughter of a man who had four 

 girls, but no sons, also owned a kaiak; her younger sister too was going to 

 get one. — These girls behaved and were dressed like men, and the other in- 

 habitants treated them just as if they were men. After having exhibited to 

 us their skill in rowing the kaiak and throwing the harpoon and bird-dart, 

 they obtained permission to choose from amongst the things in my bartering 

 box; as a matter of fact they did not select any of the things that women 

 fancy: they chose iron arrow-points and knives. 



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