Ethnographical collections from East Greenland. 



573 



side so as to make a more conspicuously pendent flap before and behind. 



This peculiarity decreases southwards along the coast but increases towards 



the north of the River 



Yukon. "They are deeply 



cut up along each side so 



that before and behind 



the skii4 hangs in a long, 



broad, round flap." M Even 



as far as the Davis Straits 



this mode has prevailed, 



the small flaps of the 



Greenlanders being only 



faint rudiments of it. 



The following quo- 

 tation from one of the 

 French emigrant, Charle- 

 voix's letters dated 172P) 

 contains undoubtedly the 

 earliest description of an 

 Eskimo dress from regions 

 outsideGreenland, namely, 

 from the south-east corner 

 of Labrador near the Gulf 

 of St. Lawrence. Here the 

 gutskin or fish-skin frock 

 of the kaiak-man is men- 

 tioned, as also his bear 

 and fish-skin frocks with 

 hood, trimmed above with 

 a "skin-brush" (a fox-tail 

 or only a border of long- 

 haired skin round the rim 

 of the hood?). It is worth 

 noticing the reference to 

 the long flaps of the 

 women, their belts hung 

 with small ornamental 

 bones (teeth?), and the 

 men's trousers and stock- 

 ings with the hairy side 

 turned inwards while 

 covered on the outer side 

 by other kinds of skins. 



"Ces Sauvages sont 

 tellement couverts qu' à 

 peine on leur voit une 

 partie du visage, & le bout des Mains. Sur une espèce de Chemise faite de 

 Vessies, ou d'Intestins de Poissons, coupées par bandes, & assez proprement 

 cousues, ils ont une manière de Casaque de Peau d'Ours, ou de quelque 

 autre Bête fauve, quelquefois même de Peaux d'Oiseaux, un Capuchon de 

 même Etoffe que la Chemise, & qui est attaché, leur couvre la Tête, du haut 

 de laquelle sort un Toupet de Cheveux qui leur offusque le Front. La Che- 



i/' 



Fig. 297. Hooded waterproof kaiak frock, back view. 

 (Holm coll.). Vio. 



1) Nelson (1899) pp. 35—36; Murdoch (1892) p. 138. 



2) Charlevoix (1744) p. 180. 



