Ethnological Sketch of the Angmagsalik Eskimo. 73 



incantations on the previous evening, in order to cure his new 

 grown-up foster-daughter of a chest affection. An amicable dispute 

 now ensued between him and his wife, slie declaring that he was 

 lying, as Utukiiluk was his second wife and not his foster-daughter. 

 He protested, but had to admit it at last, adding that he had only 

 taken her in order to have her to row his umiak, when he went 

 south next summer. He seemed rather embarrassed when Puitek told us 

 further that she had got angry when her husband came home with 

 another wife, but as he had beaten her, she had had to put up 

 with it and keep quiet. The relations between the two seemed 

 now to be excellent, and it looked almost as if Sanimuinak regretted 

 his new marriage. 



A few days after this visit, we heard that Utukuluk had seized 

 her opportunity to accompany some visitors from Norsit over the 

 ice, and had no sooner reached the place than she was immediately 

 married to a young man. 



This eighth marriage of Utukuluk was likewise of short dura- 

 tion; she separated from him three weeks afterwards in order to 

 be married again to her husband number six, Nakortok, whom she 

 had spoken of as the best of all her husbands, although he had 

 at times beaten and stabbed her. He took her back as his wife out 

 of consideration for her having missed him so much that she could 

 not sleep in the night. 



A few days after Sanimuinak had been separated from Utukuluk, 

 his housemate Piiiga caught him trying to, get hold of his wife. 

 Pitiga is now his enemy and watches him covertly. 



This is by no means an extreme case; several analogous cases 

 occurred during our stay at Angmagsalik. 



Diseases. — The Angmagsaliks do not, as a rule, attain a very 

 great age. I fancy that there are perhaps six or eight persons, but, 

 at any rate, hardly more than ten, between sixty and seventy 

 years of age. The three oldest people in Angmagsalik were Milagtek 

 (fig. 38), Kavauvak (fig. 58) and Sanersak (fig. 14). They were able 

 to remember that a man who had been down south, came to Ang- 

 magsalik and related that a kavdlunak (Graah) had intended to 

 come up there that very year (1830). At that time Sanersak was 

 grown-up but not yet married. All three were hale and hearty 

 and in full possession of their faculties. 



The most common ailments and illnesses are colds, and diseases 

 of the chest, diseases of the eye, boils and fever. Venereal diseases are 

 unknown. Many hunters lose their lives by capsizing in their kaiaks 

 (last winter: three), and in recent years many have died of starvation. 



