Ethnological Sketch of the Angmagsalik Eskimo. 125 



Tales. — The subjects round which most of the tales of the 

 Angmagsahks centre are naturally the chase or travels. But in the 

 long winter evenings they often while away the time by telling old 

 legends which often contain very realistically described scenes, in 

 which they do not shrink from calling a spade, a spade; they do 

 not mind telling these tales in the presence of children and young 

 girls, and all of them seem to find them amusing. In these tales 

 gesticulation, shriekings, and changes of voice are often of more 

 account than the words and the actual run of the story. 



One of the best story-tellers was Angitinguak (fig. 59). His 

 skill in setting forth a story in graphic mimicry was admirable. 

 His arms, legs, head and eyes were in perpetual motion, and he 

 changed his voice to suit the character that was speaking. 



He told me about a ship which he had seen in his youth, 

 about forty years ago, drifting among the ice. When he and his 

 brother-in-law first saw the ship they were terrified, for it was as 

 big as a little island. 



They therefore approached it cautiously from the stern side. 

 It was so long that he cast his bird-dart, rowed up and picked it up, 

 cast it again and picked it up, and it was not till the fourth time 

 he cast it that it passed the ship. Sitting in the kaiak he could 

 reach the ship's gunwhale with the paddle, and he marvelled at 

 the great masses of iron that were to be seen all about. He de- 

 scribed the vessel with extraordinary accuracy in all its details. 



My watch-chain reminded him of the anchor-x:ihains; for since 

 the time he had seen the ship, he had not seen metal put together 

 in such a wonderful way. 



Songs. — Another pastime for winter evenings is the singing 

 of songs which have been handed down from olden days. The 

 songs are accompanied by drum (fig. 360). The singer stands before 

 the entrance in the middle of the floor with his legs apart and his 

 knees slightly bent. If the singer is a man, he does not remain 

 stationary in his place, but bends his knees more or less in time with the 

 song, and occasionall}' takes a step forward or back, or makes a 



a) On the northernmost known places on both the East and the West coast 

 of Greenland traces of human beings have been found. 



b) Certain kinds of animals seem to have come to the East coast of Greenland 

 north of the country. Thus musk-oxen and lemmings have only been found 

 on the most northerly stretches of both coasts. 



c) The Angmagsaliks relate that north of Nuna isua there is a strait connect- 

 ing the East and West coast. This was the road taken by the legendary 

 hero Uiartek (see Tale 5). 



