ESKIMO WOMEN. 199 



Meanwhile we were boarded by a larg'e delegation of 

 the squat, square-faced aboriginals ashore, full of curios- 

 ity and interest, quite ready to accept any offering from 

 our dinner-table, or even the scullion's waste-pail, and 

 examining our spars and deck with approving glances. 

 We returned the visit, and it may be confessed that we 

 fully reciprocated their interest in our surroundings when 

 we inspected their own. 



There are six Moravian settlements in Labrador, the 

 oldest being Nain, which was founded in 1771 ; Okkak 

 was founded in 1776; Hopedale in 1782; Hebron and 

 Zoar in 1830. Hopedale is situated in lat. 55° 25', 

 Nain in lat. 56° 25', Okkak in lat 57° 33', and Hebron in 

 lat. 58° 50'. At these stations there were in all, in i860, 

 twenty missionaries and about 1,400 Eskimos. Rama 

 was founded a year or tvvo after our visit. 



The new science of anthropology was not sO generally 

 cultivated in 1864 as now, and we took no notes of the 

 height of the Eskimos at Hopedale and elsewhere ; but 

 in "Science" for July 29, 1887, we find the following- 

 statements by Mr. W. A. Ashe as to the mean height 

 of the Eskimo at North BluflF on Hudson Strait, taken 

 from measurements of "60 families," the exact number 

 of persons measured not being stated. The men aver- 

 aged 5 feet, 3.9 inches, and the women approximately 5 

 feet,, in height. 



And here it may be said that the condition of the 

 women, whether the effect of their setpi-civilization and 

 Christianization or not, was certainly not that of subjec- 

 tion, but of normal equality. They were certainly 

 sharper at a bargain than their' husbands, and within 

 doors, at least, appeared to be mistresses of the mansion. 



