234 



Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1913-18 



in a momentary heat of passion provoked by some scornful or sarcastic remark. 

 If a native makes a serious mistake without being greatly to blame — for example, 

 if he unwittingly startles a herd of caribou — he will talk about it for days after- 

 wards in a tone of disappointment or regret. On the other hand if he is blamed 

 for some action — ^as when I scolded Avranna for using a tiny pair of scissors on 

 a heavy sealskin, with the inevitable result that the scissors broke immediately 

 — he is liable to become very sullen and brood over it for a long time. His anger 

 may pass off after a night's sleep, but sometimes it leads to a violent outbiu-st, 

 when the man will probably pack up his things and move off to another place. 



(Photo by i. J. O'Neill) 

 Fig. 67. An Eskimo woman and her dog, both carrying packs, Port Epworth 



Children show the same individual variation. One will be bold and merry, 

 another bashful and shy, a third forward and presuming, and a fourth an abomin- 

 able meddler. Two or three children were what we should call "prudes," while 

 one little girl, Tupik, whom I noted as particularly charming (she was about 8 

 years old in 1916), is declared by the missionaries to have no taint of original 

 weakness or sin, nor to know what wrong is. In many little ways they display 

 the same sensitiveness as European children. Thus Higilak's daughter Kaimeyuk 

 slipped on a stone one day and gashed her knee rather badly. Some one noticed 

 her crying and asked her what was the matter, but she angrily brushed the tears 

 from her eyes and moved away, ashamed that anyone should have seen her 

 weeping over a petty injury. 



Nearly all the natives have a keen sense of humour. Aksiatak and Anauyak 

 were unable to find the entrance to our house when first it was built. They 

 peered through the window and saw Kaminggok inside, who told them to climb 

 on to the roof and come down the stove-pipe. A little while afterwards the same 

 native was grinning into a mirror and ejaculating, "Who is this? What is his 

 name? Isn't he handsome?" and other remarks of a similar nature that kept 

 his companions in a perpetual state of laughter. A cold snap overtook us once 

 on Victoria island when some of our party had no proper shelters. Higilak, 

 sitting comfortably inside her tent, told me to call out, "Good luck to you people 

 who have no tents." An awkward dancer is sure to be the butt of the other natives, 

 for, like all Eskimos, these people are excellent mimics.^ Children especially 



'Cf. Richardson, p. 211. 



