y 



364 W. Thalbitzer 



resembles the type of the pear-shaped house and serves the same 

 purpose'). 



Tents (p. 42, figs. 66 to 70). — I took the following measure- 

 ments of tents at Ammassalik: 



Kooitse's tent: height at the entrance 2-75 m. 



length of ground-plan (along back of tent, externally) 6-12 m. 



breadth (along sides of tent) 606 m. 

 Sakarias' tent: height 2-6 m. 



length 479 m. 



breadth 496 m., breadth of entrance 10 m. 



Technical Names: iupeq tent; paaia entrance; qanaai tent-poles; 

 qimeetaa the middle (longest) tent-pole; qipiijuätak the ^two sloping 

 poles at the entrance; qanaterpia, or qanerpia, sännersaa the bent 

 overlier, cross-beam supported by the sloping poles (and on which 

 the upper end of the tent poles rests); nuércaataan, mimaautaataa 

 thong (or thongs) wound round the overhanging cross-beam and 

 binding the tent-poles to the latter; umiän (plur.) tent curtain (below 

 the overhanging beam); qaldrqat, qalarai the tent skins, its skin; 

 kiliwät the seams (between the sewn skins); tartin^^'aa side of the 

 tent; miijippia the side of the curtain, which is kept closed; ammarpia 

 the side of the curtain (on the right, seen from outside), which is 

 opened; perijiwai the stones weighting down the lowermost part of 

 the tent skins to the ground (tent ring). 



The central structure in the tent is a kind of archway or port, 

 consisting of two sloping supports and a bent overlier ^). An entry or 

 space is formed in front of the archway and in front of the curtain, 

 which hangs down from the arched overlier (sännersaa), by the tent 

 poles projecting some distance beyond the latter and the tent skins 

 thus falling down outside the poles which support the overlier. 

 They are held stiff below by means of two poles placed sloping 

 forwards (see figs. 66 to 68). — The planks of the platform, lamps, 

 drying frames, boxes etc. are brought from the winter-house. In the 

 latter there is always a partition of skins between the separate 

 compartments of the families, but a summer tent has no partilion, 

 as it is only occupied by one family. 



The tent observed by Clavering in 1823 on the south side of 

 Clavering Island (74° N. lat.), which was occupied by a family of 12 



') Parry (1824) p. 500, the figure. Cf. lioas (1888j fig. 490 etc., and (19011 fig. 14U. 



-) Similar overliers (cross-pieces of tent-poles), consisting of heav}' pieces of whale- 

 bone, are found on .Soutiiampton Island in Hudson Hay. Boas (1907) p. ;^S9. 

 fig. 183. 



