218 Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1913-18 



CHAPTER XVII 

 AMUSEMENTS^ 



It might have been expected that in a land where nature runs to extremes, 

 where at one season of the year every hour of the day is flooded with radiant 

 sunhght, at another only a brief interval of twilight breaks the constant gloom, 

 the natives would have evolved an unusually large number of games and 

 pastimes to relieve in the one case the monotony of the everlasting quest for 

 food outdoors, in the other the tedium of their half-sedentary existence within. 

 But in summer the strenuousness of their migratory life allows them little time 

 for any amenities that do not contribute directly to the general welfare; more- 

 over hunting and fishing amid new and ever-changing scenes gives them a 

 variety of experiences that renders more artificial distractions needless. Children, 

 of course, on whom the cares of life weigh little, will play at every season of the 

 year, running races, or rolling in the snow, or splashing in the water on the 

 margins of the lakes and rivers; but even they in summer are forced to seek 

 their pleasures in the constant round of duties rather than in any organized 

 games, partly through lack of playmates, and partly through the ceaseless 

 activity that characterizes Eskimo life at this season of the year. It is in winter 

 that the need for recreation arises. Some games are limited to this season, 

 being forbidden at all other times; cat's cradles is one of them, and the hoop 

 and pole another. Other pastimes, such as wrestling, may be indulged in at 

 any season, but in actual fact they are seldom practised except in winter. 



We may conveniently divide the pastimes of the Copper Eskimos into three 

 classes, children's games, games that require special implements or toys, and 

 athletics. One of the commonest of the children's games is "hide and seek." 

 Half of the children form a ring, keeping their eyes fixed on the ground, 

 while the other half run away and hide. The seekers occasionally intone a 

 kind of chant e-e-e-e-e, before breaking off and beginning their search; more 

 usually they merely await the signal from those in hiding.'' The latter are 

 sought out one by one and captured, when they in their turn become the seekers. 



Similar to our "tag" are the games of "wolf" and "raven". One child is 

 made the hunter; the others run off, fiapping their arms and croaking like ravens 

 or leaping and howling like wolves. Whoever is caught first then becomes the 

 hunter. Adults as well as children sometimes play this game, especially at 

 halts during a migration, when exercise is needed to keep up the circulation of 

 the blood. 



In another game a number of children, all facing in the same direction, cling 

 together within a circle of rope. A child in front turns aroimd and faces the 

 rest, and as they try to grab him he backs away against the rope. Thus the 

 whole party is dragged forward until finally one or more of the children trip 

 over and fall to the ground. 



Little children have a guessing game that resembles "hidden ball." The 

 seeker has, to guess which of a number of players iias hidden some object under 

 his coat. A modification of this game is often played by two children only. 

 Sitting opposite, one closes his eyes while the other takes a sliver of wood or 

 any convenient object and hides it, usually on the shoulder or at the side of his 



'For comparisons -with other Eskimo areas see the memoir by Stuart Culin, Bureau of American 

 Ethnology, Vol. 24. I have added one or two references to later works. 



Kit. Meddelelser cm Gr^nland, Vol. XXX, p. 317. At Barrow, Alaska, the seekers have a proper 

 refrain. 



